It Ain't So Suite Without You Here
by Hailfax-McGee
Summary: Carey can't take it anymore, but when she decides to kill herself it goes wrong. Zack and Cody weren't supposed to come home. Now they have to live with their uncle. If they think they have it bad now they've got another thing coming. Description inside.
1. Description

Hey guys this is another story from me, Hailfax McGee, which I wrote because it came to me all of a sudden. I like the idea of this story more compared to my other active/in-progress stories so I am going to be writing this one instead of The Magic Bullet (sorry to the _few_ people who have read that story, I know it needs a lot of explaining and writing in general).

This story will revolve a lot around Zack and Cody's brotherly relationship as well as their relationship with their mother. It will be an angst-filled drama, but don't worry… the main idea lies within a close friendship and bond between Zack and Cody despite all of the things they'll go through.

I have, for the most part, mapped out the entire story and I like the direction it's going to be moving in. I don't think I'll publish it all as one long story, I'm pretty sure it will be two parts, possibly three with the third being a short epilogue.

The extended description…

When Zack and Cody's mother is suddenly sent to a mental hospital they find themselves staying with their uncle Tim, a bit of an eccentric. Life living with Tim and without their mother is hard to adjust to, and the twins battle with grief, blame, despair, and loneliness as they hope their mother will someday return to normal. Not to mention, things aren't at all what they seem. In the only safe haven they have to turn to, their uncle's house, they're just being hunted even more. What life changing event will happen there that will haunt the twins for the rest of their lives?

Without further ado I give you _It Ain't So Suite Without You Here…_


	2. Double Date

Chapter 1 – Double Date

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Suite Life series or any characters from the shows.**

Zack peeled out of the parking lot of the movie theater in his new Mustang obviously faster than needed or legal. He could feel himself getting pushed into the back of the seat because of the sheer force of acceleration and grinned at Cody, who was sitting in the passenger seat. Cody simply responded with a glare.

_At least Dad's good for one thing. _Zack thought, _With the money from his new album he bought both me and Cody cars for our sixteenth birthday._

Zack, being who he was, immediately had the car in mind when Kurt broke the news to them via Skype. He could remember it like it was yesterday.

"_Hey boys! I've got great news!" Kurt smiled through the screen of Cody's laptop._

_The twins exchanged confused glances before Zack finally asked, "What is it, Dad?"_

_He grinned for a second before continuing. "My new album… well it's raking in the big dough. And since your sixteenth birthdays are coming up and you'll have you licenses… you might want to start shopping around for cars."_

_Both Zack, and surprisingly Cody, yelled various things that their mother wouldn't have approved of into the small microphone at the top of the laptop's screen._

_Zack gave his father a smirk, "I know what kind of car I want."_

_Kurt returned the exact same smirk, "Now hold on Zack. I've still got a budget… nothing too expensive. Besides, knowing you you'll wreck it anyway and I'll be paying for it to be fixed."_

_Zack shrugged."What about a 2010 Mustang?"_

_Kurt thought for a minute, "Fine. I'll keep it in mind. Cody do you have any ideas?"_

_Cody thought for a minute, "No. I haven't really thought about it. Is it okay if I call you tomorrow?"_

"_Of course. Hey, I've got to go… my producer is calling me and I'll be damned if I make him wait."_

_Zack and Cody laughed and said their goodbye's to their father who ended the Skype call. Then, they just grinned at each other like kids in a candy store._

Cody had eventually opted for a Honda Civic Hybrid for its fuel efficiency. Zack hadn't been able to let him off without a little teasing but when it came time for Zack to get gas, Cody was always the one laughing.

As they cruised down the freeway in the direction of the Tipton Zack needed bring up the topic of their date.

"So, Codes, what'd you think? They were pretty hot."

Cody shrugged nonchalantly, "Yeah, I guess."

Zack raised an eyebrow, catching on to his brother's fake reaction, "You're right. You've dated way hotter girls."

Cody playfully punched Zack on the shoulder.

"Now, now Cody. Don't distract the driver." He grinned before continuing. "So I guess you liked Sarah huh?"

"What makes you say that?" Cody knew exactly what his brother was referring to.

"You were making out with her at the end of the movie! I'm so proud of you Codes!" Zack slapped his slightly younger, but still taller, brother on the shoulder. "Hey, let's stop by at McDonald's quick."

Cody groaned, "Come on. We should get back. Mom's going to be mad that we're coming home past ten anyway."

Zack looked at him and shrugged as he took the exit, "Oh well. She'll get over it. Besides, I'm driving."

The two brothers pulled through the McDonald's 'drivethru' lane. Cody shook his head at the misspelling and told Zack to order him a Coke. Diet Coke, of course. Zack obeyed and ordered himself a Big Mac and a Mountain Dew. Cody had opened his mouth to make a comment about the fats and sugars he was consuming and how they'd go directly into his blood steam to clog his arteries. He would have made the comment if Zack weren't the more athletic and in-shape one of the two.

Zack finished his Big Mac in a few large bites and threw the bag away on the way out of the parking lot. Then, the pulled back onto the freeway and they continued their way to the Tipton while listening to music.

Cody knew better than to argue against his brother's music choices, especially when Zack was driving. He didn't enjoy metal and hardcore music like Zack did, but he'd be lying if he said he couldn't stand it. That was, of course, one thing Cody would never admit to Zack.

When they returned to the Tipton, Zack parked in the lot and they made their way into the lobby.

Moseby was at his post at the front desk and smiled to the boys as they walked in, "Zack, Cody. You better hope your mother knew you were out."

Zack stopped at Mr. Moseby's desk and patted the manager, now shorter than he was, on the shoulder, "Moseby, Moseby. We'd never do anything that we weren't supposed to." He finished the sentence with a sly grin.

Cody laughed and Moseby simply returned Zack's comment with a scoff.

"Right," was all he said.

The boys waved to certain hotel guests they knew and to bellhops they were familiar with before making their way to the elevator. They smiled to the elevator man who knew them quite well as he pushed the button '23' without prompt.

On their way up, Cody had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. He checked his phone to find out that the time was 10:23. They were 23 minutes late. If their mother lived up to her threats they'd both be grounded for 23 weeks. Of course, she never did follow through with threats like that.

They made their way to the Suite 2330 and entered via Cody's key. Immediately something was wrong. The TV was on but their mother was nowhere nearby. She never left the TV on without watching it. Both Zack and Cody exchanged glances before Cody reached to turn the TV off.

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom." Zack looked at Cody.

Cody shrugged, "What? Would you like me to go with you?"

Zack laughed and glared at him at the same time before heading off in the direction of the bathroom.

Cody let out a sigh before collapsing on the couch. As much as he hadn't expected it he had had a lot of fun. The girls they went out with were beautiful, nice, and funny. And yes, uncharacteristically, Cody had found himself kissing one of them at the end of the movie. He grinned at the thought. Despite everyone's teasing Cody knew he still had game.

"Cody!" Zack's yell was much louder than it needed to be. And was that fear on his voice? "Get your ass in here man!"

Cody shouted back, "No Zack, I don't want to see your poop."

He sounded frantic as he shouted back, "No Cody come here. It's not that."

Cody stood up and thought to himself, _Why does he sound so weird?_ "What is it?"

"It's mom. She's dead." The last word had been barely audible but it sent Cody's head spinning and his feet sprinting towards the bathroom.

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Please review and tell me how you like the story? This chapter was simply meant to start the plot along so it will get better as we get more more into it.


	3. The Deepest Sleep

Chapter 2 – The Deepest Sleep

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Suite Life series or any characters from the shows.**

(A/N: This chapter takes place at the same time as the first chapter. Warning: this chapter contains an attempted suicide.)

Carey sat on the couch in Suite number 2330, sobbing her eyes out as she had been for the past hour or so. It had started with the thought of how Zack and Cody had grown up so much, and how they were so old now. They had only been sixteen for a couple of months, and that may not seem very old but she knew she'd never see her boys again, and that made them seem so much older.

Then thinking about her beloved sons that she'd never see again turned into "Why was she doing this?" Carey knew her life had fallen apart and there was simply no reason left to live. It had all started over a year ago when she had lost her job as the Tipton's lounge singer after she had shown up "under the influence of alcohol." Carey still scoffed.

_I wasn't drunk. I was just in a nice buzz. It always makes me sing better and it gets rid of my nerves._

She could remember the incident easily, as it was in the front of her mind.

"_Ms. Martin could you come here, please?" Marion Moseby motioned to his desk where she walked over slowly and stood next to him holding the side of the tall desk._

"_Ms. Martin I have to ask you a question that I really don't want to. Have you been drinking tonight?"_

_Carey smiled a little, "Mr. Moseby. I've had a few drinks but I'm still well under the limit."_

_Marion crinkled his nose, he could smell the alcohol on her breath. "I'm sorry Ms. Martin. You know the rules are that you may not, under any circumstances, have alcohol before or during performing. I'm sorry to do this but I have to terminate your employment as the Tipton's lounge singer."_

"_But, Marion. Can you honestly say my singing was any worse?"_

"_I'm not going to answer that question Ms. Martin. I'm sorry, but you are no longer an employee of the Tipton Hotel and Tipton Industries."_

"_But how am I supposed to pay for the suite? That was part of my employment agreement. And the boys… what will I do with them?"_

"_I suggest you find a job, Ms. Martin."_

_Carey had broken down into tears right then and there in front of all of the other guests and employees. One concerned women had actually come over wondering if she was okay and if she was being harassed by the man that had just fired her. Carey had actually considered saying yes as payback to Marion, but decided she didn't want to burn any bridges with one of the most powerful and respected companies in the world, Tipton Industries._

Then from her sorrows of reflecting upon her losing her job she thought about how every place she interviewed after that wouldn't take her because of the reason she had been fired. She had regularly cried herself to sleep thinking she was a worthless, unfit parent. She thought about her ex-husband's success in the music industry and how he could make it performing absolutely wasted. She thought about all of the money he made and the gifts he gave to Zack and Cody for each of their birthdays and for Christmas.

For months and months the same pain had been welling up inside her. She had bottled up to use as motivation to be successful but it had turned out to be just the opposite. She had thought long and hard about the idea of ending the pain and every minute she thought about it the better it sounded. Sure, she knew Zack and Cody would be devastated and disappointed but they'd eventually move on. It may take months, years even, of crying and sadness but they'd move on. Eventually, after the pain and sadness faded away, Carey Martin would become a statistic.

She, of course, had given thought as to where her boys would stay. She figured they could stay at the Tipton under Mr. Moseby's watch for a while, even for the remaining year and a half before they went off to college. She also knew, with London, being eighteen that she could take them. Carey didn't really like that idea. She also knew her brother Tim would be more than happy to take them. The twins' uncle had always loved to hear about how they were doing and he always insisted he got the newest school photo. He was a bit different, yes, but it was a charming different. It wasn't like he had any mental problems or any physical disabilities; Carey knew he'd be able to take care of Zack and Cody very well.

It was all the thinking about the outcomes and possibilities that sealed the deal for her. If she had to be honest with herself she knew she may have backed out at the last minute. But instead she walked into the bathroom, razor blade hand, with a bounce in her step. She checked her cell phone and saw the time was 9:04. She figured it'd be at least two hours before Zack and Cody came home and, even though she wasn't sure, she thought it would only take about half an hour for her to bleed out.

She started the tub, filled it with water, took of her shoes and slipped into the cold water. At first she was uncomfortable because of the iciness but soon she grew used to it, feeling her heart rate increase. She fingered the razor blade, feeling its sharpness and confirming that this is what she wanted. When she decided that she was going to go through with it she pressed the blade to her forearm, a few inches down from the elbow, and dragged the blade across her arm.

The cut she made wasn't smooth and it hurt beyond belief. Her hand had a brief spasm, due to nerves being severed, and she let out a muted scream. She repeated the same thing on the other arm, letting out another scream before she relaxed into the tub. The water clouded instantly and turned a rosy shade of pink. Carey thought to herself how beautiful the color was before she let her tears fall down her face and she rested her head on the back of the tub, letting herself bleed out.

It didn't take too long for her to pass out. And when she did she fell into a deep, deep sleep. It was the deepest sleep she had ever felt, but in the back of her unconscious brain she knew it wouldn't be the deepest sleep she'd feel today.

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Please review and tell me what you thought. This chapter was meant to give Carey some animation.


	4. Not So Lucky, Lucky

Chapter 3 – Not So Lucky, Lucky

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Suite Life series or any characters from the shows.**

Cody rushed into the bathroom to find his brother standing over the tub, frozen as if he was paralyzed. He felt his head rushing with thoughts, worries, and plans. He finally stepped into the bathroom and could smell the blood. When he finally saw her, laying there so peacefully, he heaved but no food came up. He leaned over her and checked for a pulse. He didn't know why he did it, but he was glad he did. He sprang to his feet, eyes bulging.

"Zack, she's still alive. Go call 911. I'll try to stop the bleeding."

Zack didn't take any time to think, he opened his phone and took a last look at his mother before leaving the room, unable to be in the same bathroom.

The operator answered just after the first ring, "911, what is your emergency?"

Zack could barely speak. His throat and mouth were completely void of moisture and he almost felt scared to say anything. "I need an ambulance. My mom, she's almost dead."

"I have you at… the Tipton Hotel is this correct?"

"Yes," Zack croaked.

"What happened? So I can tell the paramedics."

Knowledge and understanding finally tore Zack's heart open and he felt hot, burning tears streaming down his face. His mother tried to kill herself. Why would she do something like that? "She… cut her wrists."

Zack could almost see the operator's eyes bulge and mouth open in shock, "I'll convey that to the paramedics. Is there still a pulse?"

"Yeah, my brother felt a pulse."

"You brother is there? How old is he?"

"He's sixteen. We're twins." Zack didn't know why he felt it necessary to include the last bit of information, but he had and there was no taking it back.

"Okay."

Zack could now hear the sirens. He had never heard sirens before from their suite on the 23rd floor, but he could hear the sirens clearly tonight.

What happened next passed in fast-forward and slow-motion at the same time. Two paramedics came in, strapped her to a cart, and wheeled her out to the ambulance. Zack had wanted to ride with her but Cody, thinking logically, offered to drive to the hospital so they could drive wherever they needed to drive to afterwards.

So, the two brothers drove wordlessly to the hospital. Neither brother tried to initiate conversation because there was nothing to say. Their mother tried to kill herself and that was that.

When they arrived at the hospital they were told to wait in the waiting room and so they did. They waited for what seemed like an eternity but eventually a doctor came out and walked towards them. They immediately jumped to their feet and asked him what happened.

"Well, you're mother lost a lot of blood and will probably remain unconscious and unstable through the rest of the night. You're very lucky, she's still alive."

Zack couldn't hold in his emotions anymore, "Lucky? We're lucky? We're not fucking lucky so don't say we are. If we were lucky this, all of this, it would have never happened. So don't say we're lucky."

Cody could have made an attempt to calm Zack down and to stop him from screaming in the doctor's face but didn't. He let Zack vent. He actually nodded all throughout what he had said. It was the same thing he was thinking.

The doctor had retreated a few steps, only giving Zack the opportunity to close the distance and fuel his ranting. He hadn't responded to the outburst, he simply said, "I'm sorry. She can't have any visitors until tomorrow when we move her to recovery." He had taken no time to scurry away from them like a small rodent.

Zack and Cody looked at each other for a second before meeting in a tight embrace.

Cody was the first to speak, his voice distorted by tears, "She tried to kill herself, Zack."

"I know, Cody. I know." Zack's own voice was also masked with tears. They simply stood, in the middle of the waiting room, hugging each other and crying into each other's shoulder.

They decided to spend the night in the waiting room. Neither brother wanted to go back to the Tipton to spend the night in the same suite that their mother tried to kill herself in. They simply talked together and thought to themselves for most of their sleepless night. When they finally saw the sun out they stood and decided to go to the desk to see if they could see their mother.

"Hello, can I help you?"

"We were wondering if it'd be okay to see Carey Martin?"

She typed a few words and clicked the mouse a few times before asking, "May I ask your relation to her?"

"We're her sons."

The woman's eyes filled with sorrow and pain instantly. She probably would have apologized if Zack hadn't repeated the question again.

"Yes. She's ready for visitors. Room 230."

On the way there Zack had to point out the obvious coincidence, "Room 230? Kinda like Suite 2330?"

Cody shook his head. He knew his brother was just trying to lighten things up, but Cody wasn't in the mood.

When they entered the room she had her eyes closed but opened them once she heard footsteps approaching her. Her arms were covered in bandages and taped shut. She had an IV that was feeding her water and sedatives. She was out of it, and she looked the part.

When her eyes fell upon her two sons they filled with fear, pain, sorrow, and most of all, embarrassment. She watched them walk to her bedside and looked her over. She could see tears coming down Cody's cheeks. Zack's eyes were red and brimming with tears.

"Mom." Cody went over to her.

She looked up at him, "Oh, Cody."

He looked confused and sad, but also relieved that she was still alive. "Why, Mom?"

She simply shook her head, indicating she didn't want to answer the question.

Cody backed up and looked over to his brother who still wasn't letting his tears pass. He finally took a step forward.

Carey almost choked on her own words seeing her son, the strong one, almost in tears, "Zack. I'm so sorry."

Zack hadn't meant to reply this way but he couldn't help it, "Save it. I have no words for you." A single tear streamed down his right cheek and do the corner of his mouth, "You're not my Mom. Not anymore."

"Zack, please, I just-"

Zack turned around and walked to the edge of the room where he sat in a chair with his head in his hands and cried his eyes out, harder than he ever had before.

The doctor came in hesitantly and strode over to her bedside to check the IV and her blood pressure reading. He then turned to Cody, "Mr. Martin, you and I and your brother need to have a word in the hallway."

Zack looked up and nodded. They all proceeded to walk out of the room, Cody stealing a glance at their mother who simply closed her eyes and laid her head down on the pillow.

In the hospital the doctor took time picking out his words, "I think that because of the situation your mother is in. She should be admitted to Arbour Hospital Mental Health." Again he paused to choose his words, "She is in a very fragile state right now and needs help. The staff there is well-trained and well-equipped. They'll take very good care of her."

Zack and Cody had both stopped crying and stood at eye level with the doctor, Cody being slightly taller. They both nodded and agreed that she needed help. It pained them to do so. It pained them to send their mother off to a mental institution, the loony bin, but they had to. She needed all the help she could get.

In the room Carey sat seemingly emotionless. She hadn't necessarily expected Zack to act the way he did but she couldn't blame him. What would any teenage boy do or say after finding out their mother tried to kill herself. No, she couldn't blame Zack at all. She could only hope he eventually took his words back someday and would call her mom again.

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Please give me some feedback, it is greatly appreciated.

**Arbour Hospital is actually a hospital in the Boston/Roxbury area. I'm not familiar with the East Coast because I'm not from there so bear with me. Everything about the hospital and its facilities are from my imagination. Over the course of the next couple chapters my lack of knowledge in the medical field will come through, so kindly smile and nod as I make a complete fool of myself, if you would.**


	5. Transitions Threefold

Chapter 4 –Transitions Threefold

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Suite Life series or any characters from the shows.**

(A/N: I'd like to do a little shout out to LightThatBinds for writing one of the best stories on this site _Those Three Words_. Be prepared because this one is sad and will blow your mind with how well it's written. Also I want to recognize the-lovely-anomaly for writing another of my favorites, _Boy, Disrupted_ another very good story that isn't finished yet. I also want to give a final shout out to lividredemption for writing the Suite Horizons stories. They are very good, and there is so many subplots and characters that are all developed that it will change you after you have read it. Suite Life + Dead Space = WIN. I finally want to thank Man of Faith for reading my stories and actually reviewing faithfully, no pun intended. Check out Man of Faith's stories because they are also very good and very well written. And now back to the show…)

Carey didn't need to stay in the hospital for very long. She just needed to get her strength back, as well as most of her blood. She had lost about seventy percent of her blood and was on the brink of death when Zack and Cody had found her. Her calculations were wrong; it took more than thirty minutes for a person to bleed out. She spent the nights at the hospital asking herself questions.

_What now? Why didn't I die? Why couldn't I just have died? How can I ever look at Zack and Cody the same? How can they ever look at me the same? Zack's practically disowned me. How long will it be before Cody does too? Who wants a suicidal mother? I wouldn't. What comes after this? They'll probably sent me to a nut house because they'll think I'll try it again. I would. Before my reason for trying to kill myself was there's no reason left to live. Now my reason would be, there's a reason, two actually, to die. Of course, that won't happen because they'll be watching me like a hawk until they deem me healthy again. I can't… I just can't do this._

She spent her nights and days going through the same thoughts like a broken record. She was barely alert to her doctors and her kids. Zack hadn't spoken a word to her. Whenever he came in the room he stood against the far wall and looked at her with pain and fear clouding his, once clear, eyes. Cody's own eyes were clouded too, but not for the same reason. Cody cried everyday for their mother and that's what dulled the light in his eyes. Carey had shed her own tears when she thought about how their green-blue eyes had once shone with the radiance of happiness. Zack's had always had a glint of mischief, and Cody's had always been calm and sensitive. Now they were hardly recognizable.

A week passed for Carey. A water-filled, mineral-rich, high-protein, non-moving week passed for her. At the end of the week it was disclosed that her blood levels were up to fifty-five percent. They had increased twenty-five percent in just one week. The doctors informed her that the following weeks would yield slower progress because most of what had been replaced was plasma, which was over ninety-five percent water.

Along with the sedatives that they gave her via IV to keep her tired and compliant they also pumped in vitamins like B12 and iron supplements to try to increase blood production. She was told that she was going to be admitted to Arbour Hospital in the Mental Health branch for a while, or until she got better. She was also told that she'd be confined to a wheel chair because of her severely weakened state. This hadn't sat well with her but she had quickly come to terms with the fact that she was in no position to be arguing or trying to make decisions.

Despite her limited contact with her two sons during the duration of her stay at the hospital she had asked the doctor to gather them in her room for a necessary meeting. She was pleased to see that they obliged. Zack took his usual spot by the wall and to Carey's surprise Cody joined him there.

She felt the need to initiate the conversation, "Boys. Obviously you can't stay in the Tipton alone so you're going to need to go somewhere to stay for a while."

Zack bit back a sharp reply and imitated Cody's nodding.

"There's one possibility that I know will work. You could stay with your Uncle Tim."

Zack and Cody looked at each other before Cody started speaking, "Uncle Tim? He's a little… different don't you think?"

"You'll be fine. You two are old enough to look after yourselves and each other but I just think that you need an adult with you."

It was Zack's turn, "That'll be fine. At least he's a nice guy. He could be a lot worse. Besides, a little crazy is good right?"

Cody looked over at his brother who seemed to be feeling better today, "Something just seems off about him though. I don't know. It's probably just his fear of microwaves. That's a little different."

Carey knew she was experiencing one of the few normal moments the three had shared together, "Well he's got a good reason for that. He was a kid in the fifties. Everyone then was scared of radiation."

"Either way. We'll stay there until you get out of Arbour."

It was with that last sentence that the normal moment was ruined. It was replaced with the knowledge that they were, in fact, all sitting in a hospital because Carey had tried to kill herself.

That night the twins had driven to their uncle Tim's house. They had made calls and finalized everything and confirmed and confirmed again. The twins were welcome to stay there for as long as needed. Tim has expressed his sorrow, disappointment, and shock in his own eccentric way as he learned about what his sister, technically half-sister, had done to herself. Carey and Tim weren't exactly close. They kept in touch, mainly about information about Zack and Cody, but they rarely met up.

Cody had driven them back to the Tipton one final time so they could pack their things. They had each gone in without saying a word. It was bringing back too many memories of that fateful night. They each remembered how they had joked and played around as they entered the suite. They remembered how Zack had gone to the bathroom and screamed for Cody. And Cody remembered how he had doubted his brother's credibility when he had told Cody to come into the bathroom. With all of these memories swimming in their head both brother's refused to go into the bathroom. They decided they'd buy new toothbrushes and toothpaste, as well as deodorant and other regular products like those.

The twins each packed their suitcases full of their clothes and each used their backpacks to take any other belongings they wanted. Wilfred Tipton had been generous enough to give them the suite free of charge for the next year for them to store the rest of their things. When each was done they put their things in their respective cars and both drove separately to the uncle's house.

The house itself was charming. It was a large-ish two story house that paled in comparison to the Tipton Hotel. It had a rather up kept yard and it was painted a charming grayish-tan. It had a two car garage so one of the twins' cars would have to be parked in the street. They decided Cody should stay parked in the street because he was the one with the cheaper, less appealing car. It wasn't a bad neighborhood but there was no being too cautious.

They were met with open arms, literally. Tim had insisted upon giving the twins hugs that had each lasted for a long couple of seconds. They couldn't tell if it was just his way of saying "sorry, I wish this never happened" or if it was just the way he was. He ushered them inside and got them each a "refreshing beverage". He then gave them the grand tour.

The house on the inside was nice too. It had beautiful hardwood floors, colorfully painted walls, and nice furniture. His bedroom was on the main floor and he told them there was another one on the main floor and two more on the upstairs. He said they could figure out the rooming arrangement however they wanted. They could use any two of the three rooms available. Zack and Cody simply shrugged although they knew they'd take the two upstairs because they were directly next to each other. The two didn't want to be separated any more than they needed to be.

There was also a nice basement. There was another TV, a 46-inch flat-screen. Also in the basement were the washing machine and the dryer. It was a very nice, well-equipped house. It would be easy for three people to live in it and not get in each other's way too much. There were two and a half bathrooms which had confused Zack at first. Having lived in the Tipton he had never known about half-bathrooms that were just a toilet and sink. Cody had known about them, but only because of somebody mentioning one in the lobby of the Tipton one day. There was one upstairs and one and a half on the main level.

After they finished the tour they had simply gone up to their rooms and unpacked their things and then Zack had gone into Cody's bedroom where they stayed, sitting on Cody's new bed, talking about anything that came to mind for the rest of the day.

For Carey, her move had been much less inviting. She had moved from the hospital to Arbour that day and been introduced to a few members of the nursing staff and to her room that lay behind a metal door. I didn't really seem like a room to her. It was her solitary confinement to her. There she knew she would spend hours of the day sitting by herself to her thoughts. She wondered how often she would see the sun.

She had also met her psychiatrist, Dr. Lewis. He seemed like a nice enough guy. He knew just what to say and how to say it, of course, that was part of his job. She was told that she'd have daily sessions with him for the first month and then weekly sessions after that. He also made it a point to tell her that she didn't have to talk about anything she didn't want to. They had all the time in the world and if she wanted to wait she was more than welcome. It was almost like they wanted her to stay there for as long as possible.

Carey made a mental note to get out and meet as many people in the facility as she could. She wanted to find just one normal person in here, like her. Of course, she figured finding a normal person in a mental health institution would probably be a challenging task.

Carey had laughed when she had been in her room and considered scratching a line in the wall to tally the number of days she was in here. She didn't know how long she'd be stuck in this solitary confinement of sorts but she wanted to get out before her boys graduated from high school. She sadly knew that they probably didn't care if they ever saw her again.

She knew it was the depression talking and making decisions at this point but it just seemed like nobody wanted her. She had been fired from her job, rejected from other jobs, forced out of society and into a small, locked room in a nut house. It seemed it was places like these where the rejects of society went to live out the rest of their days in a room. To her relief the walls were stone and weren't padded. They had at least saved her that embarrassment.

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Please review and tell me how I'm doing so far. We're starting really get in to the meat of 'major event 1.' Things will continue to pick up in further chapters.


	6. Guilty Conscience

Chapter 5 – Guilty Conscience

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Suite Life series or any characters from the shows.**

The twins had tried to get to sleep that night. The beds were actually more comfortable than the beds were at the Tipton, and they were much better than the waiting room chairs where they had spent a night at the hospital. Despite the softness of the beds neither Zack, nor Cody could get any sleep.

For them it was the first night that they had been truly separated from their mother. They hadn't been with her the nights she was in the hospital but they had been just down the hall. And even more obvious and different was that they weren't sharing a room like they always had. They would never admit it to each other, let alone anyone else, but they were a little scared to be sleeping in separate rooms. Separate, unfamiliar rooms in a different house with their mother nowhere to be seen.

Zack lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling. He felt slightly comforted to know that Cody was probably looking at the same ceiling. Thoughts raced in his head. The thoughts were the worst ones he could have possibly let enter his head but he was helpless to their influence. It was his fault, Zack knew that. Whether anyone else would agree didn't make a difference because he knew in his heart that it was his fault. Maybe if they would have actually come home on time for once none of this would have happened. He was the one that had suggested hanging out for a while after the movie and Cody had actually mentioned their curfew but Zack had simply waved his hand and dismissed the idea. He knew their mother was full of empty threats but how could he have known she was so full of pain and hate?

He finally got up from his bed and walked into Cody's bedroom. The door had been closed so that only a crack was open, but he entered anyway. He immediately saw Cody sit up from his bed.

"Zack," His voice was tired but certainly awake.

"Hey Cody, I can't sleep."

Cody moved to give Zack space to sit. "Neither can I. It's all just so different you know? The house, the beds, and I guess," He paused for a second, "I guess it's hard sleeping in a room alone too."

"Yeah. But Cody?"

"What's up, Zack." Cody wasn't surprised to see that, despite it being dark, he could tell Zack was upset. He could tell from the way he was sitting, the tone of his voice, and the way he kept saying Cody's name.

"This whole thing, it's all my fault. If I would have just listened to you and we went home at curfew and didn't stay out longer we could have avoided this. It's all my fault."

Cody wrapped an arm around Zack's shoulders, "Hey. It's not your fault. The doctors said she was like that for nearly two hours. We couldn't have done anything even if we came home at ten. It would have still happened."

"Why did she do it, Cody? I don't understand." Zack's crying was starting to become obvious in his voice.

Cody was letting his emotions rise too. "I don't know Zack. I think she did it because she didn't want to live anymore. But I don't think we'll ever understand it."

"How could she have not wanted to live? She had a rough year or so but we would have made it."

"I don't know. I guess when you feel like you have nothing left to live for your brain does crazy things." Cody's tears finally escaped when he discovered the true meaning of what he had just said.

"But she had us to live for, Cody. Aren't we good enough? Doesn't she want us anymore?"

Cody opened his mouth to give a firm no but no words escaped. His voice seemed to freeze in his throat and all he could do was tighten the one-armed hug he was giving his brother. If Cody was going to be honest with himself, he was surprised to see Zack so emotional. Zack had always been the strong one of the two. Zack had always been there to comfort Cody when he cried about things but it was never the other way around. Cody didn't know why Zack was being so emotional either. It had to have been because he didn't feel like they were wanted anymore. Cody knew, better than anyone else, that Zack was insecure. Zack had tried his whole life to be wanted, loved, and ultimately, accepted. Cody had always been the one to get better grades and do better in school so Zack focused more on socializing and sports. They became the things he was good at and he had done that only because he wanted to fit in. Cody knew all of this without Zack even telling him because it was the same for him, only the other way around.

They sat there for a couple hours leaning against each other and falling in and out of sleep. They hadn't spotted their Uncle Tim come up to the room and look inside. He had heard them get up and start talking and he went up to see if they were okay and when he reached the source of the crying and comforting he saw them dozing in and out of sleep. A smile stretched slowly across his face as he took in the scene. He looked over each boy for a while before going back downstairs satisfied that they were going to be okay for the rest of the night.

For the rest of the night Zack struggled with emotions that surprised him greatly. He felt pain, sadness, shock, and all of the other feelings that would be expected. He even felt anger. He felt anger towards their mother he felt anger towards himself. He even, for no reason, felt anger for Uncle Tim. To Zack it seemed Tim was just waiting for something like this to happen. It seemed too good to be true that he had an empty house waiting for them. It all seemed like he was part of the plan. The more Zack thought about it the clearer it became. His anger wasn't anger. It was pure, unfiltered rage.

Cody also struggled with emotions though he kept his mostly in check. He felt all the same emotions Zack did, minus the rage. He felt abandoned because of what their mother had done and why she may have done it. He felt sad that now she was in a mental facility with people that had been classified as crazy. He felt scared that he was now without a mother, at least for the most part, and not with his brother. He felt scared that he had to spend his uncertain nights alone in a room to think by himself. And what made him scared the most was that his brother, the very same who had been there to comfort him was now in tears. Cody knew Zack hadn't cried this much in his entire life and he had set a new personal record in just a few days.

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Please review. This chapter was simply meant to express what Zack and Cody are feeling right now. Tell me how I did?


	7. Meet Tim Martin

Chapter 6 – Meet Tim Martin

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Suite Life series or any characters from the shows. I do own Uncle Tim though.**

Tim Martin grew up an only child until his father remarried another woman and they had a child. His half-sister, Carey Martin, was fifteen years younger than him. They had grown up as close as they could have with the age difference, so not very close. By the time she was three, and actually starting to carry out conversations with people, Tim was off to college. In their time after they had each grown up they remained in contact. In fact they had both agreed to try to get to know each other better. That was right before she gave birth to twins. Tim had actually been in the hospital when she had given birth, waiting patiently in the waiting room. He was one of the first to see them.

Then the years wore on and Carey naturally became more concerned with sustaining her two boys than building a relationship with her half-brother so they returned back to where they had been, maybe a little closer. He was always present for family get-togethers and always gave the twins presents for their birthdays and Christmas because he wanted to remain a part of their family instead of being on his own. He had never really grown close to Zack and Cody but he was more than the uncle you see once a year.

Despite his giving presents to the twins he always demanded that he never wanted anything in return. The only thing he ever asked for was their school pictures as he was trying to stay as close to them as possible. Carey had obliged and Tim had always looked at Zack and Cody as the two kids he'd never have a chance to raise.

Tim didn't really ever get into serious relationships. He did sometimes meet a woman that he liked and date her for a while but it always seemed like something went wrong. The common line he received when women broke up with him was, "We don't fit together." They had all been referring to his personality. He was a nice guy, he had been told that. But he was different. He had strange fears such as microwaves, x-rays, and anything else involving radiation. He was also superstitious, regarding certain things as omens. And sometimes he was told he could get too attached which he never really saw as a fault. How could he be blamed if he really liked someone?

Growing up as a teenager Tim had suffered a period of a couple years where he had been bipolar and had anger management problems. He had taken his medication and went to classes and that seemed to help sometimes but there were times where, usually when he was egged on, he lost it. He got in a handful of fights in his day and had been suspended a few times. His parents had always been warned that a bipolar kid with anger management problems could be a real threat to society and that it was recommended that he attend more anger management classes as well as therapy sessions. His parents had never found out that he overhead that conversation, the same one where the principal told them that it started out with fights at school, then it turned to vandalism, then stealing which always led to assault and eventually murder. After he had overhead that conversation he had noticed that every morning the pill he took was a slightly different shape.

He had never turned into a thief or a murderer though. He had never been caught up with the law. In fact there was a time when he wanted to be a cop but that never turned to anything. No, Tim Martin became regional manager of a company that sold parts for helicopters. It was a normal job and it wasn't high-paying, nor was it low-paying. It was a standard, average job. He also lived in a rather average house. When he bought it he needed to renovate a lot of it. It had taken years and years but eventually he had himself a nice two-story house.

Tim Martin was an average guy with an average job, living in an average house. Despite what everyone thought, they didn't know anything about Tim Martin and the secret room he had locked-off in his garage.

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Review, please. This chapter was a very short one compared to the others (746 words compared to 1200-2100) and it was simply meant to give life to Tim. Also, what could possibly in that secred, locked-off room, I wonder... Any guesses?


	8. Visit To Arbour

Chapter 7 – Visit to Arbour

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Suite Life series or any characters from the shows.**

Saturday finally approached and Zack and Cody found themselves getting into Cody's Honda and cruising down the highway on the way to the mental facility that was housing their mother. They had learned from the doctor, via Uncle Tim, that visiting days were every Saturday. They had seized the opportunity immediately and it was just past ten o'clock in the morning when they were leaving the house.

They arrived at the hospital at quarter to eleven and parked in the surprisingly full parking lot. Along with staff in the parking lot were the cars of visiting families. Cody held in a comment about how the families visiting were the ones who had long since accepted that their loved one was 'crazy' and was deemed unfit to live in society anymore.

When they entered the building they both immediately looked around. Cody wanted to see if the place was nice and he could tell by the tasteful decorations and lavish furniture that it was indeed a nice facility. They approached the front desk where a young woman sat staring into the monitor of her computer. When they stopped in front of the desk she looked up through modern-looking glasses.

"Can I help you?"

As Cody got a good look at her face he figured she must have come just out of medical school. He looked over to see what his brother was doing, bracing himself to have to apologize for his flirting but Zack stood there beside him, eyes unfocused. "We're here to see Carey Martin."

She typed a few things and looked up at them and smiled again, "Carey Martin, okay. She'll be brought to the visiting room momentarily. It's just down this right hall, second door on the left."

Cody smiled to her and said, "Thanks."

The two proceeded wordlessly into the visiting room.

They sat there for over five minutes before she was brought in. They seemed to be the longest moments of Cody's life. He had so many questions. There were so many things he was wondering about. When she finally was wheeled into the room he was instantly reassured of her health.

Carey Martin looked better, almost healthy even. But that didn't mean she felt any better. She had tried to kill herself, how was she supposed to explain that to her sons? They'd never understand why she had done it. It was supposed to work. She was supposed to die. They were supposed to come home, find her dead, and eventually move on without her. She wasn't supposed to live. Her living hell of a world had just gotten a lot worse. The nurse that had pushed her to into the room left and she pushed herself the rest of the way to where her boys were sitting.

Cody was moving nervously as he sat. She could see in his face that he had endless questions. She wondered how life was treating them at her half-brother's house. Zack was sitting tall and proud, obviously trying to mask his emotions. His eyes were the things that betrayed his feelings. They were filled with emotion.

As she reached them Cody spoke up, "Mom, how are you doing?"

Carey sighed and looked him in the eye, "I'm doing fine. It's alright here, they've got some nice staff."

"Have you been drinking water? Taking vitamins?"

Carey tried to hold in a painful giggle at her son's motherly instincts, "Yes. I can feel I'm getting stronger too. They say in a few weeks I'll be out of this wheelchair."

"That's good."

Carey turned to Zack who was just staring at her, "Zack how are you doing at Uncle Tim's?"

His eyes became watery, "It's not the Tipton that's for sure. It's not home."

She frowned at his dark comment, "It'll grow on you. You may as well like it 'cause you're stuck there." She had meant it as a joke but in her situation she wasn't really in the place to be making jokes.

She smiled when Cody gave her a courtesy laugh. When it finally became silent again Zack spoke up.

"Why'd you do it?" His voice was barely more than a pained whisper and his eyes were now brimming with tears.

Carey shook her head, "I can't… I don't know how to explain."

Zack's voice was so painful to hear for her. "Try to explain."

"I guess I just didn't want to live anymore. I'm so sorry I did this Zack."

Zack finally broke down into tears, gasping sobs escaped his throat. His words were barely coherent, "Is it because you didn't want me? Because I wasn't good enough? I was a terrible son, maybe if I-"

She opened her mouth to cut him off but Cody shot her a look and wrapped his arms around Zack.

"Hey, Zack stop. We already talked about this, okay? It's not your fault. We all love you."

Carey looked on in horror as her stronger son was in tears before her and Cody was comforting her. What had she done? What had she done to her family? She truly deserved to die now. Carey, too, broke down into tears at the sight and the thought. Zack had never cried so much in his life, even when he was a baby. He had been a strangely quiet baby who had never really cried, the trend continued through the majority of his life. The tears were hot as they flooded down her face and into her mouth.

Zack couldn't see beyond his tears. Everything was a blur. He could hear Cody whispering in his ear and hugging him reassuringly. He finally went back to his seat and sat down, head in hands.

Cody turned to Carey, "He asked me if that was why last night and I told him no. I guess he wanted to hear it from you."

Carey formed words despite her crying, "I'm so sorry Cody. I know I don't deserve you."

Cody kept a blank face, "You know, normally I'd argue, but I'm not so sure you deserve us anymore either."

Carey's mouth hung open, stung by her son's words. When she was finally back to feeling like her horrible self she asked, "Is he okay? Is he stable I mean?"

Cody's face turned from blank to stony, "No, he's not. He's been like this ever since you abandoned us. He thinks you don't want him."

She chose to argue with the topic that hadn't already been addressed, "I didn't abandon you."

Cody motioned to his brother, "Explain that to him, then. I'm going to get him back to the house. Take care of yourself okay?"

Carey nodded earnestly, "Okay. Drive safe."

Cody nodded and walked away from her to retrieve Zack. He ushered Zack to the car and they drove home without conversation.

When they returned to what they may as well start calling home Zack was still crying. They went inside and found that their uncle was out of the house. There was a note describing that he was out running errands, getting groceries being part of that. Cody couldn't take it anymore. His mother tried to kill herself, his brother was simply gone. He let his own tears spill over and he hugged Zack tightly, their bodies pressed together.

"It's going to be okay, Zack. Everything's going to be okay."

"How?" He sounded more like a scared five-year-old, than an outgoing sixteen-year-old.

"I don't know, but I need you to be strong, okay? I need you to be my big brother, Zack."

Zack smiled through his tears. Their entire childhood Cody hated when Zack introduced him as his younger brother even thought it was only by ten minutes. In all honesty it was true, but Cody never like it.

Zack looked in his brother's eyes expecting to find warm emotions like love but instead saw nothing but fear. Cold, black fear. Something inside him seemed to click at the sight. His thoughts suddenly straightened out, if only a little, and he promised to himself that he'd stop crying and be there for his family. He'd always been there for all of them and he couldn't leave them now. He vowed to be there for Cody and they'd get through it together, as they had gotten through everything else.


	9. Half A Year Gone By

Chapter 8 – Half A Year Gone By

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Suite Life series or any characters from the shows.**

6 Months Later

It had been about half a year since their mother had tried to kill herself. It had been a painful, slow-moving six months. The twins had fallen into a rhythm with their uncle's house that they now called home. They knew the house, they knew the neighborhood. Everything seemed to be looking. Even at Arbour, their mother was improving. Her strength had returned to full after two months of being in the wheelchair and from then on she was walking. From their weekly visits they made, and from the news shared by her psychiatrist, she was much more stable mentally. He said she was still troubled and still needed to stay at the hospital and be monitored but she was in much better shape than she had been in before.

Zack had maintained his promise to himself to stay cool and not cry anymore. The last time he had cried was right before he made that promise. Instead of crying he found other ways to vent his emotions. In order to do so he started jogging. At first even he was surprised how far he could run on a little bit of anger and sadness. Eventually he was up to easily running a five-mile route every morning. Between that and their uncle's healthy cooking, he was in the best shape of his life.

Cody, on the other hand, hadn't found a different way to vent his emotions. Instead he just became a master of holding them in check. He never was a risk of blowing up like Zack had been. Instead he held them in and when he wanted to let some of it out he'd either talk to Zack or Tim, mostly Zack though. Their conversations sometimes lasted into the later hours of the night and into early morning even. They talked about life, death, fate, emotion. They talked about everything. Actually, if Cody was going to be honest with himself he'd have to say he was the one doing most of the talking. Zack was like a sponge and just let Cody talk to him, knowing he needed it. The conversations they had weren't one-sided though, and Zack seemed truly invested in the topics they covered.

The twins had also grown closer to Uncle Tim. The first few months had been awkward, how could it not be? They had been living in a strange house with a man they knew, but now well. Eventually they adjusted, even though it had been hard. It had required many board games, video games, joking threats, and even the twins' first beer but they had become friends with Uncle Tim.

Tim didn't look at his giving alcohol to the twins as a bad thing. He only gave them a beer each; it wasn't going to do anything to them. He knew it would bring them all together closer though. He would forever be the person to give them their first drinks. And besides, he knew they'd get their hands on much worse alcohol before they turned twenty-one, every teenager did. After they had all opted to go to bed Tim had noticed Cody had barely finished half of his, but Zack's was gone. He smiled at the thought. After getting to know each of them it was so characteristic of them. He couldn't help but feeling more attached to Zack though, there was something about the fresh sixteen-year-old. Zack was handsome, he was charming, he was athletic, and he reminded Tim of himself when he had been a teenager. Of course, Zack didn't have anger management problems and he never got into fights.

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Tim put down what was in his hand and checked to make sure the door to his secret room was closed and locked. The twins hadn't found it yet but it was only a matter of time before one of them stumbled upon the door in the floor of the garage and asked where it went. It was indeed, locked. Satisfied, he smiled and picked back up what had been in his hands, looking at it for a long while. He put it back in its place and walked to the other side of the room. On this side of the room different objects covered the wall, and were placed on a table set up against the wall. On the north wall sat the table covered in pictures and the wall with more copies of the same pictures. Age 0-4. On the east wall were even more pictures. Age 5-8. The south wall contained more pictures. Age 9-12. And the west wall, the wall he looked at most often and had updated most recently held his favorite pictures. Age 13-16.

Everything seemed to sill be in order. He looked into the face of the person in one of the pictures and sighed. His eyes were so paralyzingly beautiful.

Tim Martin climbed the ladder, closed the door, locked the room off, and covered the door with a rug, making sure his collections of pictures of Zack Martin would remain undiscovered and private.

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**This was another short chapter. It was meant to fill in the blanks about the six months of time that's passed and begin 'major event 2'. So the inside of the room is finally described... interesting. Please tell me what you thought about the chapter and any thoughts about what the significance of the secret room is.**


	10. Like That'll Happen

Chapter 9 – Like That'll Happen

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Suite Life series or any characters from the shows.**

Cody sat on the couch in the living room of Uncle Tim's house. He was watching TV, scrolling through channels and frowning when he landed on a commercial most of the time. Channel surfing was what he did when he was bored and he had Zack to thank for it. Zack had one day, jokingly, told him to watch at least one minute of a show on every channel they had at the Tipton and Cody had sat there for hours watching shows that he would eventually come to like.

Now, Zack was out on his morning jog, leaving Cody feeling lazy and tired. Sometimes he truly thought about asking if he could go with Zack, as he could use the exercise. It wasn't like he was out of shape, he just wasn't as fit or athletic-looking as Zack had become with months of running.

Actually, as Cody thought about it, his brother had been gone for a while. He was either taking his time today or something held him up. Cody shrugged and pressed the button on the remote.

Over twenty minutes later, he was getting genuinely worried. Zack should have returned about half an hour ago. Cody thought desperately as to where he could be and picked up his phone to call his first speed dial, Zack. After further thought, he realized that Zack didn't take his phone with him.

Just as Cody could feel his heart rate raising to an unsettling level the door swung open violently. Zack nearly fell through the doorway. He was panting violently, gasping for air and his face was bruised and bloody.

Cody's jaw dropped in horror as he rushed over to his brother who was battling to control his balance. He put an arm around Zack just before Zack finally gave in to his loss of balance. Cody could see that Zack's eyes were filled with fear, and an emotion that he hadn't seen before, but Cody couldn't place it.

"Hang on, Zack. Let's get you to the bathroom."

Cody escorted Zack to the bathroom and instructed him to sit on the vanity next to the sink while he went to find some medical things. Zack hadn't argued.

Cody returned hands full of bandages and other various items he had found in a drawer that Zack couldn't name, and didn't care about.

"What happened to you."

Zack sighed and talked awkwardly through a split lip, "There were these three guys who were walking around acting like they owned the world and they started messing around with me. I just lost it and they started throwing punches. I tried to hold them off but I was out numbered."

Cody nodded and spotted a large blood stain on the right side of Zack's abdominal area. He instructed him to take his shirt off and again, Zack complied.

Cody inspected the cut, it looked like he had been stabbed. He opened his mouth to ask but Zack confirmed his question before it escaped his mouth.

"I got stabbed. It was just a pocket knife but it hurt like a bitch."

"Lean back." Cody placed a hand on his brother's chest and pushed him back.

Zack removed Cody's hand, "I can lean back on my own, thanks."

Cody raised one of the bottles and looked at it for a second, "Hydrogen peroxide. This'll sting a little bit." He further examined it, "Damn, it's really old. I'll have to use rubbing alcohol." He raised another bottle, "This'll sting a lot."

Cody poured the clear liquid onto the wound and Zack flexed causing blood to come flooding out.

"Come on, Zack." Cody cleaned the blood away and poured more rubbing alcohol onto the wound and when he was done fixing him up Zack stood.

"You know, Cody. I'm starting to think you like looking at me with my shirt off. Enjoying the gun show?" Zack flexed his arms.

Cody laughed and added with a sarcastic tone, "Right. You got me."

The two continued joking but Cody knew something was wrong. He knew when his brother wasn't telling the truth and he could tell Zack was lying. On top of that Zack's knuckles weren't bruised or split open as if he had been in a fight. He didn't have any other damage than what was done to his face, and the lone, mysterious stab wound. Something was very wrong but if Zack didn't want to talk about it he'd let it be. Cody shrugged and followed his brother out into the living room.

Uncle Tim returned an hour later and immediately saw Zack's face. He rushed over to him and Zack seemed surprised or scared because he flinched at first but then, after he realized who it was he relaxed quite visibly.

"Zack, what happened?" Tim looked very concerned as he stared into Zack's eyes awaiting a reply.

"I…uh… got jumped by these three guys. It's no biggie."

Their uncle gave a _hmm_ in response and nodded to them as he continued into the kitchen.

Cody looked at his brother through narrow eyes, making it obvious to Zack that he was suspicious of something. When Zack didn't say anything back Cody dismissed the topic altogether and resumed channel surfing.

The next day Cody woke and immediately went to check on his brother. He was surprised to find Zack awake, lying in his bed. His eyes were red as if he had been crying and his skin looked red and chapped.

"You okay? You look like you've been crying."

Zack sniffled and tried to adopt a confident attitude, "I'm fine, Codes."

Cody sat down next to him, "Zack how did you manage to hold off three guys when they were jumping you?"

A flash of fear drew across Zack's eyes before he recovered, though it was not lost on Cody, "I didn't really hold them off. See my face?"

"Zack, are you sure that's what happened?" Cody's eyes were burning into Zack's searching for the truth.

He hesitated then continued, "Yes. I'm pretty darn sure."

Cody sighed, "Okay, I'll drop it for good then."

Cody stood and left Zack to himself but not before Zack said something under his breath. Cody thought it sounded like "Like that'll happen" but he wasn't completely sure.


	11. Just Another Visit

Chapter 10 – Just Another Visit

tiger002 – Thank you for reviewing and offering your feedback. In response to some of your comments, and in defense for myself (yes, I'm one of those people, I hate 'em too) there's only so much you can write about somebody feeling despair and anger. It's gotten to the point where I'm running out of synonyms for certain words and phrases which makes it extremely hard to write for me. I don't want to sound like a broken record, you know? And yes, I can tell when I'm burnt out writing when paragraphs that aren't dialogue start becoming two or three lines instead of a solid four or five or six.

I've been listening to Avenged Sevenfold's new album, Nightmare, pretty much the entire day (Fiction is just finishing) And I suddenly feel the need to pay homage to a fantastic drummer and one of the greatest musicians the world has ever seen. RIP Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan. I won't forget your final words in 'Fiction' that go "I hope it was worth it, out on the highway. I know you'll find your own way when I'm not with you."

I'm done rambling, on to Chapter 10…

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Suite Life series or any characters from the shows.**

Their second visit to Arbour had not been as eventful as the first. It had become just another visit, like the ones over the past six months had been. They got into Cody's car, drove off, and went in. It hadn't taken long for the woman at the front desk to begin recognizing them. They showed up at the facility everyday at around eleven o'clock and, upon seeing them, she would dispatch the nurses to transport Carey to the visiting room without prompt.

This time, as the twins entered the building, she took at chance at small talk, "Hey Zack, Cody. How are you two today?"

Cody looked at his brother who had been strangely quiet the entire way down as if giving him 'the floor'. When he didn't even look up to meet Cody's eye contact he answered the question, "We're fine, thanks, Rosy. Did you call for Carey?"

"Of course I did, Cody." She too, looked over at Zack with a confused look on her face. While she had come to know Zack as the quiet, secluded one from their first couple visits, that impression had been soon laid to rest. He had, in fact, begun to wear his confident smirks and walk in his almost cocky manner. He had called her everything but her name including Red, Beautiful, and Gorgeous, and he had been daring enough to tell her that he was the man of her dreams.

Rosy smiled, remembering how he had done all of this. She smiled wider as she remembered thinking how easy it was to look at him. She remembered how she had actually thought about how charming he was in his own way. She had even responded at times calling him Hot Stuff and Stud just to try and show him how ridiculous he was being. He clearly received the message but had never given up.

Today he was being quiet though. His head was hung and he refused to make eye contact with anyone, even as he mumbled replies to Cody's questions. He seemed to have reverted back to his old self and her nurse's instinct told her that something was wrong. Of course, it probably didn't take much to notice something was off with the boy. His body was slumped and seemed to have shrunk and his hair was messy, not that it had ever been proper when she saw him.

When he finally did look her in the eyes she understood why his head had been down. His eyes were red and puffy, he had clearly been crying. She had only caught a glimpse of his eyes before they headed down the hall but she looked after him for a few seconds before she finally sat back down at her desk and continued with her magazine.

In the visiting room, the twins arrived at about the same time their mother did. They all found an unoccupied corner of the large room and took to it. Carey had sensed Zack's distress too. He hadn't said a word, hadn't even looked at her. When they were all settled into their corner she put a hand on his shoulder and was taken aback when she saw his face.

Not only was it clear he had been crying, but his face was puffy in spots and darker colored. He also had various cuts all over his face, including a lip that was still ever so slightly swollen.

"Zack, what happened?"

His reply was nothing more than a mumble, "I got jumped by some guys the other day."

"Oh my god," Carey was surprised that her own child had been the victim of an attack, "Did they take anything."

Zack shrugged. He couldn't understand why she asked that question but it seemed that all mothers asked the most unnecessary questions in any situation. "No."

She scrunched up her face in disbelief. He had been attacked but had nothing stolen? It didn't make any sense, "Well what exactly happened?"

His eyes flicked towards the doorway before finding the floor, "They just came out of nowhere and started beating on me."

Cody's head snapped around so quickly he may have given himself whiplash if it had been any faster. The story Zack had just given was much different than the one he'd heard. He could tell Zack had picked up on his mistake too as his lips pursed together in thought. There was something on his mind and Cody needed to know what it was. Cody knew that if he was acting this way that Zack would do anything to get it out of him so that he could then help, and Cody felt the least he could do for his brother was to return the hypothetical favor.

Carey had sensed Cody's confusion and they shared a look before they continued along with their conversation.

"So Mom, how've you been in this place?"

She sighed, eager to move away from such dire topics, "I'm fine. This place isn't all bad really. Heck, I've even got a group of friends I sit with at meals."

Cody paused in case Zack wanted to make a comment. When he didn't Cody continued, "That's good to hear."

"Something on your mind, Cody?" She smiled kindly. It was a motherly smile, the kind she had given so many times before. But this time it felt different on her face.

"Yeah. I found something weird in Uncle Tim's garage the other day."

Carey raised an eyebrow, "Don't keep me waiting."

He laughed, "He had… it was so weird… he had a microwave in his garage. He's scared of those things."

Carey shrugged, "I don't know, Cody. He's a weird guy, that's for sure. He's a very weird guy."

Cody shook his head and agreed, but he didn't know what he was exactly agreeing with.

* * *

At the house Tim Martin sat in his kitchen, a package in his hands. The items he had ordered had arrived. It hadn't been hard finding them. It had been hard answering what he needed them for but if there was anything he knew how to do, it was create a lie on his feet. It seemed as if the thrill of the possibility of getting caught motivated him to craft the perfect lie. He shrugged. He needed to open this in The Room in case the twins returned unexpectedly.

When he entered The Room he locked the door behind him and sat in the single chair that was located there. From his pocket he dug out his old, trusty pocketknife and opened the package with care. He smiled as he dumped the contents out on the table and began putting them in their places on the table. He now had everything he needed.

* * *

**I'm going to be completely honest and say this chapter was sort of a filler chapter. I'm officially completely burnt out for writing today and it's plainly obvious. Now you have a true cliffhanger to ponder as I take my day off writing tomorrow (maybe). I had fun messing with you all with the microwave in the garage thing. Even though this chapter was filler there's some very, very crucial details hidden within it. The next chapter will be a very important one, probably the most important chaper in this story. Zack is going to tell Cody what really happened (oh, we all know he's lying about getting jumped)**

**I'm so tired so here's to a good night (raises my bottle of water)**


	12. Confessions Nocturnes

Chapter 11 – Confessions Nocturnes

The title of this chapter is also the name of a French song by Diam's. It's a pretty decent song, too. In English it means, nighttime confessions. This is the chapter we've been waiting for. At least I've been waiting to write it so without further ado… here's chapter eleven.

Also, I recognize that I said I may be taking the day off, but who was I kidding? I can't stop writing and I was outside and all of the sudden this whole script of dialogue between Zack and Cody was forming in my head and I ran back inside and started writing.

This is the most important chapter of this story and from here things'll be picking up. I'm adding a whole lot of flour to this boiling pot of plot to thicken it up.

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Suite Life series or any characters from the shows.**

* * *

When the twins finished visiting their mother they had gone back into Boston to visit the Tipton again. Their suite, number 2330, was still being held for them and they could come and go as they pleased. Despite the open welcome to visit what had once been home the twins hadn't gone back there since they left to go to the hospital and find out if their mother was going to die. There were simply too many memories floating about the rooms of their suite.

When they entered, using their old key cards, they were almost knocked to their feet. The inside was in a state of disrepair. There were cobwebs lining the ceilings. There was a rather thick coating of dust on everything in sight. The suite was anything but welcoming.

What would have once been home to them now seemed to be a place full of fear and hate. There were still shoes lined up by the door. They were Cody's shoes and Carey's shoes, as Zack had never bothered to place his neatly in the line. There were long forgotten notebooks sitting open on the dust-covered tables. The books seemed to smile up at them as if welcoming them home and wondering if they'd forgotten them. Cody could only shake his head and continue panning the room. Zack remained mostly motionless and soundless as he simply stood there.

Cody wandered into the small kitchen that had been the source of so many tasteless dinners, and what had been the source of his love for cooking. The smell overwhelmed him. It wasn't the smell of home, not anymore. The smell, the memories were grinning mercilessly at him. They were taunting him and laughing devilishly in his direction. This place was certainly not their home.

Neither of the twins looked in the direction of the bathroom. Cody had looked at the couch where he had plopped down on that life-changing night. Everything before he had sat down there was just fine. He had enjoyed a rather successful date with a beautiful girl, despite Zack being there. He and his brother had come home making playful, empty threats, and joking remarks. Cody remembered how he had responded when Zack asked him to come to the bathroom.

"_Cody!" Zack's yell was much louder than it needed to be. And was that fear on his voice? "Get your ass in here man!"_

_Cody shouted back, "No Zack, I don't want to see your poop."_

_He sounded frantic as he shouted back, "No Cody come here. It's not that."_

_Cody stood up and thought to himself, Why does he sound so weird? "What is it?"_

"_It's mom. She's dead."_

It was amazing how quickly the lives of two people could change. In that one moment their lives grew harder, colder, and more uninviting. In that one moment they had been robbed of their innocence. In that one moment they had become victims. In that one moment they had become alone.

Unable to deal with suffering that the emotions brought on, Cody shoved them aside. He had a mission. He needed to get in, get a few things from his bedroom, and get out. Like a machine he kept his eyes forward, focused on the doorway into his room. When he reached the room he set about searching for his things. He was here to gather only a few things. He wanted a few books, as he had read all of the interesting ones at Uncle Tim's house. And he wanted to get the box of pictures he had kept in his dresser. There were pictures of Carey and pictures of Kurt. There were pictures of himself and pictures of Zack. And in each of those pictures was a memory of a simpler time.

He grabbed the box and nearly ran back to where his brother was standing, not moving. They exited Suite 2330 with haste and drove back to their current home.

On the way back Zack and Cody hadn't shared a word together, as was becoming customary in car rides. Before, they would have joked and laughed together, but now there was too much pain for laughing. At least for Cody there was. He knew he still felt the pain and shock of what their mother had done to herself and he could only wonder what pain Zack was suffering through.

At one point Zack had fallen back into tears. Cody hadn't heard at first but eventually the soft sounds of heavy breathing and sniffling were too loud to ignore. Cody looked over at Zack, who had his eyes focused out of the window, refusing him eye contact.

"Zack, what's wrong?"

"More than you could ever know, Cody. Just leave it be." Zack's voice was tired and emotionless. He sounded like a zombie.

Cody nodded, and patted him on the shoulder twice as if to give Zack some kind of feedback. There was no ignoring it though. Whatever pain and suffering Zack was dealing with was much different, and far greater, than Cody's. Cody knew he absolutely could not, "leave it be." As a friend, a caregiver, and more importantly, a brother, Cody had to know what was troubling his other half.

When they returned home Cody took no time in escorting Zack into his room and sitting him down forcefully on the bed. At first he told them Zack should get some sleep, then he told him that he wanted to talk.

Zack had argued and resisted at first, but eventually complied and simply walked, head hung low. He knew he didn't have to follow Cody. As much as Cody could try to force him one direction Zack knew he was stronger. He didn't understand why he didn't just pull away from his brother's grasp. He didn't want to answer Cody's inevitable questions, the ones about what really happened when he went out jogging. But yet, there was something inside him that resisted the urge to resist. That same thing was telling him he should tell somebody the truth for once. _The truth couldn't hurt,_ it said. But the reality was so very different. The truth would hurt at least one person, and if he wasn't careful it may hurt a lot more.

Cody began pacing around the room as his brother sat there silently, "Alright. Enough of this. Zack, you're going to tell me what happened. I'm not asking you anymore."

Zack laughed lifelessly, "I don't have to tell you anything, Cody."

Cody grabbed his brother's shoulders and shook him violently. He then peered into his eyes and for the first time he realized Zack's mischievous, childhood sparkle was gone. His eyes, which had once shone with luster, were now dull as if he'd seen too many things in his life. There was something else though. Nestled cozily in that darkness and in that dullness was one unforgettable feeling, fear.

"No Zack I guess you don't. But you want to. I can see it in your eyes, Zack. You're scared and you know you want to tell me."

Zack didn't know what shocked him more, the fact that Cody could assume all of that from looking at his eyes, or that fact that he was absolutely correct. Zack was terrified and he so badly wanted to tell his brother and best friend but he was even more terrified of what the consequences may be. He knew Cody would probably be in shock first, and then blow up at him for not telling. He knew Cody would overreact and want to call everyone he knew and the police, the police being first. He knew all of this and he knew that if he was going to tell Cody he would have to keep him from doing all of this, or Cody would die.

Zack let out a large sigh, "Fine. Cody I need your word that you won't tell anyone though."

Cody shrugged, "Fine you have it."

Zack shook his head, "No, Cody. I need your word as my brother that you will not, under any circumstances, repeat what I'm going to tell you. I need to know that you understand that you cannot and will not tell anybody."

Cody narrowed his eyes, worried. Whatever it was that was troubling Zack was big. "Okay."

"Cody, you're not getting the picture. If I told you I murdered ten people and robbed a bank that day I need to know you won't tell anyone. I need to hear it from you and I need you to know that you're promising me this."

Cody was about to say yes but his honesty got the better of him, "I don't know if I can do that Zack."

Zack shrugged, "I don't know if I can tell you, Cody."

Cody gave out an identical sigh to what Zack had given, "Okay. You have my word that I won't tell anybody. It's just between us."

Zack would have smiled but this wasn't a time to smile. He was revealing his darkest secret to the one person that loved him most.

"I'm afraid it isn't just between us Cody."

"What do you mean?"

"When I came home beaten up like that. It wasn't three guys. It was Uncle Tim." Zack's voice was barely a whisper as he continued, "He punched me, he kicked me, he stabbed me."

Cody instinctively hugged his brother, "Oh my god, Zack. Are you okay? Was it the first time? Has he-"

"He raped me, Cody." Tears were flowing freely from Zack's eyes.

Cody's eyes grew large with sheer horror and he shrunk back, away from his brother.

"He what?"

* * *

Remember to comment and tell me how I did with this chapter. This was my favorite to write and I think it's the best so far. Reactions to the big news?

tiger002 - I'm wondering if you picked up on the pocketknife bit at the end of the previous chapter. Is that what tipped you off to Tim's involvement with what happened to Zack? That was the "very, very crucial detail" I was referring to. Oh I can be so tricky when I'm so tired!


	13. Victim Of A Crime

Chapter 12 – Victim Of A Crime

From the bottom of my heart I'd like to extend a thank you to the people who have commented so far. Thank you, tiger002. Thank you, Ellivia22. Thank you, standingsingle. Your comments mean a lot to me.

The title of this chapter is part of the lyrics from 'Victim' by Avenged Sevenfold. The chorus is as follows

_And some say this can't be real  
__And I've lost my power to feel, tonight  
__We're all just victims of a crime._

_When all is gone and can't be regained  
__We can't seem to shelter the pain inside  
__We're all just victims of a crime._

Warning: This chapter contains a bit of violence and language.

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Suite Life series or any characters from the shows.**

Cody couldn't believe his ears. Had he heard correctly? "He what, Zack?"

Zack nodded, face contorting with his sobs. His voice was barely coherent, "You heard me."

Cody pulled him into another hug, "I don't know what to say Zack. Do you want to talk about it?"

Cody simply felt his hair moving up and down in a nod.

They found their places on Cody's suddenly uncomforting and unwelcoming bed. Cody draped his arm around Zack's shoulders and looked him in the eye. Cody nodded encouragement as he saw trying to gather the courage to find words.

Zack took a deep breath that seemed to calm him down, "I went out of the house that morning and right when I walked out the door Uncle Tim stopped me…"

Zack's mind swam in the memory as he recalled what happened that morning.

_Zack left the house. He was simply wearing a light cotton t-shirt and some mesh athletic shorts. In his pocket was his iPod, ready to play him back his favorite songs as he ran his route. Zack never brought his phone along with him. He thought maybe he should in case anyone needed to contact him. He had never thought about the possibility that_ he _may need to contact someone._

_He started jogging down the driveway only to be stopped by a voice._

"_Hey, Zack. Can you help me with something in the garage before you go out?" It was his uncle._

_Zack sighed, he didn't really want to but he knew that he should. What was the point of arguing, it's not like it would have gotten him anywhere? He approached his uncle who was wearing a goofy smile on his face, "What is it?"_

"_There's a room in the garage that I haven't shown you. I had it built as a bomb shelter. It's surrounded by three feet of concrete and solid steel on all sides. The door is under that rug that's in there."_

_Zack was confused. He didn't want to know the history of the room, he just wanted to help his uncle and get out running. His dream the previous night had left him with a substantial amount of emotions to vent. "What do you need help with?"_

"_There are some boxes in there. I've been using it mostly for storage because there isn't exactly a bomb threat nowadays. I need some help moving them out into the garage."_

_Zack nodded, happy that it was quick work. He'd probably be done in a couple minutes and out running immediately after. "Alright. Lead the way."_

"_Good." Tim patted his back and led the way into the garage. He uncovered the mysterious door with an evil grin on his face. He pulled the keys out and unlocked the lock."Go on, it's going to be pitch black in there. I'll flip the light on once I get in there."_

_Zack shrugged and descended the ladder. It was indeed dark in the room. He couldn't see very much of anything. He could make out a table and a chair but he couldn't see any boxes in sight. When Tim started descending the ladder it closed._

"_Damn it." Tim growled, "Let me find the light quick and I'll get that door open." Zack hadn't heard him lock the door behind him._

_It was a few moments before Tim found the light and when it flipped on Zack had to close his eyes. He slowly opened them and immediately saw his uncle standing right in front of him with a creepy smile. He looked around and his eyes widened. There weren't any boxes in this room. There were pictures of him, many, many pictures of him._

"_Are these… pictures of me?" Zack walked around the room looking at the pictures that covered the walls._

_Tim drew another few steps closer to him, "Yes. Every picture that's been taken of you. There is some of your brother too, but only the good ones. I, personally think you're much more photogenic than he is."_

_Zack laughed nervously. Why did his uncle have every picture that's ever been taken of him? And why did he lie about the contents of the room? "What's this all about? Why do you have pictures of me?" His pulse was starting to quicken as his uncle's creepy grin became almost satanic._

"_Because," Tim stroked the face belonging to the boy standing in front of him, "I love you Zack, that's why."_

_Zack drew away from him immediately, "This is all completely fucked! What are you doing?"_

_Tim cocked his head to the side, "I love you and I want you to love me. Because I'm going to love you. Right here."_

_Zack caught the hidden meaning instantly, "You're fucking crazy! Is this some kind of fucked up joke?" He looked in his uncle's eyes and saw nothing but that creepy feeling, and desire. "Holy shit! You're serious. You sick bastard." He ran to the door and pushed up only to find that it was locked._

"_Now, now Zacky. There will be no escaping. There's two ways of doing this. You can do it quietly and easily. Or I can make you do it."_

_Zack felt the iciness of fear begin to grip his hear all over again. If he would have had time to think clearly he would have thought about how he had been all too familiar with that specific emotion in the past months. His mind was racing, his mouth was dry and his hands were shaking. "Fuck you! Get the hell away from me!"_

_Tim smiled, "I'm sorry you feel that way Zacky."_

_Zack took a swing at Tim that landed squarely in his stomach. He instantly took up a defensive position a few steps back._

_Tim broke out in tears, "Oh Zacky. I love you. Why would you do that?" He staggered over to Zack, "I love you and look what you've gone and done."_

_Zack's eyes were bulging in fear, "You're fucking crazy! Give me the keys."_

_His lips curled into a wicked grin, "I don't think so. I think instead you should begin removing your clothing. Or I can do it for you."_

"_No! Fuck you! You're crazy! Why would I do that?"_

_The wicked grin grew more and more as each moment passed, "You'll do that because if you don't I'll make your brother kill your mom. And then I'll kill him. You don't want that blood on your hands."_

_Zack reached in his pocket for his phone and realized he never brought it running. Damn it! What was he supposed to do now? "You're not going to kill them?"_

_Tim looked surprised, "I'm not? That's weird cause I swear I was going to if you didn't take off your clothes."_

_Zack could feel tears beginning to rise. He wasn't going to cry. He already knew Tim would love to see him cry. That's what he was trying to make him do. His own uncle took some kind of sick pleasure in seeing him cry and wanting to… Zack couldn't even think it. "Just don't okay? We can reason through this right?"_

"_Zacky, when will you ever learn? We're far beyond reason. I've brought you to my favorite room in the entire house and I intend on carrying out what I first planned." Tim was so close that Zack could feel his breath now._

_Zack shut his eyes wishing it would go away. Hoping and praying that maybe when he opened his eyes again that he would wake up in his room. Instead he felt a pair of cold hands grasping the bottom of his shirt._

"_No!" Zack screamed as he lashed out at Tim. He caught Tim in the jaw and once in the stomach again._

"_That's it." Now Tim started throwing punches._

_The first one landed directly on his temple, causing Zack to lose his balance. Another punch, and then another. Zack took blow after blow to his face and could feel knots rising from the muscles in his face. Zack could feel himself beginning to drift but he fought to retain consciousness. It only took a few more hits to his temples for him to finally black out._

_When he woke he found his arms tied behind his back. And then with a jolt he realized he was naked. He looked over at saw his uncle wave at him._

"_No. Please don't."_

_Tim didn't listen. Instead Zack felt his cold hands wandering over his body._

"_So smooth. I love you Zacky. Do you love me?"_

_Zack would have spat in his face if his mouth wasn't so dry. Instead he chose not to answer._

_His decision had obviously been wrong as he felt a hand cuff the side of his face. Zack's instinct was to bring his hand up to touch the softened area and protect it from more harm but was soon reminded that his arms were restrained._

"_Zacky, do you love me?"_

_Zack swallowed what was left of his pride and nodded up once and down once._

_Tim's voice was barely more than a grunt as he wandered strangely, and illegally close to Zack, "Good."_

_And then the unspeakable happened. Tim raped Zack._

_It was beyond words. Zack had never known fear as he had during those unforgettable, scarring, and dark moments of his life._

_After Tim had finished stealing what may have remained of Zack's innocence and freedom in the world he looked at him evilly._

"_You will not speak of this do you understand?"_

_Zack swallowed and nodded._

"_You will not speak of this because you know what will happen if you do right?"_

_Again, Zack nodded._

"_Tell me what will happen if you tell anybody, Zacky." Tim's hands were roaming Zack's body again._

"_I-if I tell… If I tell anyone you… you'll make Cody kill my mom. And you'll kill him." Zack could barely speak and tears were now spouting from his eyes._

"_Good. I had fun, Zacky, did you?"_

_Zack nodded through his tears._

"_Oh goody! We'll do this again then."_

"_No, please." Zack's voice was a whimper._

"_I'm sorry, what?"_

"_Nothing." Zack couldn't even think. He had become numb. His thoughts were muddled and cloudy. His whole body was shaking violently. His words were slurred and distorted. Everything was gone. There was no emotion, or if there was he simply couldn't tell what it was. Zack felt like a slave inside himself. He existed but wasn't living. Everything had gone wrong._

Zack was burying his face in his brother's chest crying his eyes out as he finished the retelling of the worst day of his life. That day had far surpassed the day they found their mother in the bathtub. At least she had been alive. At least there was hope for her revering and going back to normal. There was no going back to normal from this. Zack had lost a part of himself that he could never have back.

Cody was speechless at first but he quickly recovered knowing Zack needed him there. "It's okay, Zack. He's not here right now, I am. I'm here for you okay?"

Zack only continued soaking Cody's shirt with salt water, knowing if Cody told anybody that he'd die.

"Zack, that doesn't explain the stab wound."

Zack released his hold on Cody and tried to recover himself, "He said that if I was going to lie about what happened and say I got jumped I'd need a knife wound. I think he really just liked hurting me though, I don't think he really cared. Promise me you won't tell anyone Cody. If you tell he'll kill you."

Cody pursed his lips in thought the same way Zack always did, "We'll figure something out Zack. We'll figure something out very soon."

* * *

So there it is. Now we know what happened to Zack. How will he recover from this? What can they possibly figure out? Will Cody be able to keep his mouth shut? Will Tim do it again? How will Rosy be involved in Zack's healing process (she's the woman at the desk at Arbour)? Please tell me what you thought of the chapter.


	14. The Hardest Days

Chapter 13 – The Hardest Days

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Suite Life series or any characters from the shows.**

Zack had sat crying in Cody's arms for almost a full hour after he broke the news. It wasn't until they both heard the door open and close, signaling their uncle had returned, that he gathered himself. Cody just watched, feeling like his stomach had turned to stone, as Zack dried his tears and forced himself to stop crying. The sight of this almost made Cody produce his own tears. Nobody should have to endure what Zack had. Nobody, especially a sixteen-year-old should have to endure that. Nobody, especially someone whose mother had recently tried to kill herself should have to endure that. Nobody, especially his brother should have to endure that.

But, as reality would have it, Zack did have to endure it. Zack was sixteen years old. Zack's mother had just tried to kill herself. And Zack was Cody's brother. Cody couldn't figure it out. Why did all of the bad things happen to them? It seemed as if their happy-go-lucky, perfect world had come crashing down in front of them in the past months. Cody knew it wasn't normal for anyone to have to go through any of this, but two teenage boys, brothers, having to deal with all of this in less than a year? It was madness. It was worse than madness; it was… there were simply no words for it.

The next few days after that hardly passed easily. Cody kept his mouth shut. The first day he had wanted to confront Tim. Cody wanted so many bad things to happen to their uncle, and he wanted to be the one to cause all of those bad things. He figured he could have been classified as insane or murderous if someone would have been able to listen to his thoughts.

Cody found himself watching Tim cook hoping he would accidently cut his hand off with a knife or spill boiling water on the parts that had mostly destroyed his brother. Cody found himself in a car with him hoping, at every light they went though, that some maniac would crash into the car and Tim would fly though the windshield and die a painful death. Cody found himself watching Tim drink a glass of water and hoping that somehow he'd choke on it. Cody knew these thoughts weren't healthy for him but there was no excuse for him. Cody wanted Tim gone and the only thing that stopped him was his brother's reminding him of the promise he had made.

After anger came protectiveness. Cody began following Zack everywhere. It became second nature to keep an eye on him at all times. He could feel his muscles relax whenever Tim wasn't in the house but every time they were all in the same room Cody could hardly breathe and he always kept an eye on his brother. Cody had also made it a point to try and keep Tim as far away from Zack as possible. Whenever possible, Cody sat between the two. This hadn't gone over too well with Zack.

Zack had gone to Cody when their uncle was out of the house and sat him down fighting to refrain from landing a fist in his face.

"Cody, what the hell are you doing?" Zack had been furious.

"What do you mean? I'm just trying to keep him away from you."

"Yeah, that's going to have to stop, Cody! If he gets any idea that you know… you know what will happen."

"Yeah. Zack remember, I told you I'd figure something out?" Cody knew what he had figured out was weak at best but weak was better than nothing.

"What's up?" Zack had gone from angry to genuinely interested.

"Well if he finds out I know he said he'll make me kill mom. And then he'll kill me. Well here's the thing. That's not going to happen because no matter what he does I'd never kill mom. I'll always be here with you."

Zack laughed in his face, his anger returning. "That's what you came up with? Cody he'll torture you, he'll make you feel so miserable and alone until you'll do whatever he tells you to. Can't you see it in his eyes Cody? Can't you tell?"

Cody sighed, "No Zack, I can't. I haven't seen what you've seen. I haven't been through what you have."

Zack shook his head, "No Cody, you haven't. Just please don't do anything stupid until we can figure something out that actually makes sense."

It had been hard for Cody to agree with that but he couldn't bear to deny him anything. Zack could have asked for all of Cody's worldly possessions and all of his pride and honor and Cody would have given it all to him without question. Cody knew what to call that. That was called unconditional love.

"Fine."

As much as Cody tried to return to normal, or at least what had been normal for them before this all happened. He nearly lost it again when Tim mysteriously needed Zack's help picking something up from the store.

"Hey Zack. I'm going to head out to the store and I'll probably be buying a few things. Mind coming with me and helping me carry some stuff?"

Cody nearly tackled his uncle to the ground. He simply tried to put on a happy face, hoping his eyes wouldn't give him away, "I'll go with. Six hands is better than four right?"

Tim seemed to think about it for a while, "No Cody. Just stay here this once. I think your brother and I will be able to handle this one." He winked at Cody after saying it.

Normally the wink would have been a harmless, meaningless wink. It would have been a friendly promise to include Cody in the next run to the store. Only this time, Cody had nearly vomited on the spot. He felt bile rising in his throat and had met Zack's eyes with a sorrowful gaze. Zack had simply given a faint smile and the smallest nod Cody had ever seen, before closing his eyes for a while.

Cody, feeling truly sick went to his room where he closed the door and waited until he heard the front door close to scream into his pillow as loudly as he could. This was the second time that Tim would be ruining Zack's life and that was already two times to many. Cody knew he had to sit down and think, this needed to end as soon as possible and there were only two ways that it would. Cody either had to tell someone and get Tim arrested, or Tim had to die. As much as Cody wanted to carry out the latter he knew he'd never be able to. Cody knew he had to tell someone. He had to call the police. The only problem was that he had to get Zack to agree. If Zack didn't agree and Cody told somebody, Zack would never trust him ever again, and that was probably the worst thing that Cody could ever go through.

If Cody didn't have Zack's trust he may as well not have anything in his life. Suddenly Cody's world became focused on one thing: convincing his brother to report their uncle.

* * *

Please review, it means a lot to me to see how everyone liked or didn't like a chapter.

We've begun our descent towards our final destination. Please return seats to their upright positions and tray tables upwards and locked in place. This part of the story is winding down now, but don't worry, this tale of Zack and Cody is far from over.

Some questions to ponder...

Will Tim get carted of to jail or will he somehow cause another great tragedy in the Martin's lives? How can Cody convince Zack to report Tim? Why is Zack so afraid that Tim will carry out his threats? What will Carey's reaction to all of this be and what secrets lie there? Stay tuned for the next chapter of _It Ain't So Suite Without You Here..._


	15. Do You Love Me?

Chapter 14 – Do You Love Me?

Thank you everyone for the awesome reviews and encouragement. I've never really been known to follow through with stories but I really like the plot I have mapped out and everyone's reviews are keeping me going with this story.

I was reading 'Boy, Disrupted' just now and the-lovely-anomaly asked if people thought her story should be rated T or M. I've found myself wondering the same thing. I'm leaning towards T because I'm not really going into any detail about the rape. The thing is, rape and suicide are very mature topics that some people might not want to read about. For me when I see that a story is rated M I think, mistakenly, that it contains sexual references or scenes. I'm rambling again so input anyone? I think I'll stick with T though.

'Boy, Disrupted' is an amazing story. Probably one of the best on this site and if anyone hadn't read it you have to. The same thing applies to 'The Martin Triplets'. I just finished that one up and it was very powerful.

Wow, further rambling. Alrighty then. 3…2…1… GO!

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Suite Life series or any characters from the shows.**

Cody had spent a lot of his time crying over the smallest things. Those were back in the days when things were simpler. Things were either black or white and there was no such thing as grey. Those were the times when, if something ever went wrong, it would all turn out okay. He could almost laugh at how naïve he'd been.

Cody had spent so much time crying over small things that he never understood that the feeling of being on the verge of tears was far worse. Between the moment when his brother walked out of the house with Tim to when they reentered, Cody was on the verge of tears.

It didn't seem like being on the verge of tears would be so bad, but it definitely was. Cody wanted so badly to cry. He wanted to badly to be strong for his brother. He wanted so badly for this all to end. He wanted the fear to go away. He wanted the pain to go away. If it made sense, Cody was too scared to cry. Cody was too hurt to cry. This was emptiness far worse than tears.

Cody felt like a statue as he sat on the edge of his bed waiting for his brother to come through the door with a bloody face and a broken soul. Cody felt like he was made of stone. He was unable to move. He knew where his brother was. He knew what was happening to his brother and all because of his foolish desire for love and trust, he couldn't protect Zack. Cody knew he was just as much of a criminal as Tim was. He knew he was being an accomplice but somehow it seemed okay. It would seem okay to the police. The cops would come in, Tim would be exposed, and everyone would be disgusted with him. Nobody would ever think twice about the fact that Cody hadn't done everything in his power to stop him though. They'd blame his inaction on fear. Cody didn't want to do anything because it may hurt his brother and that would be okay. Cody was hurting his brother by not doing anything that was, in turn, hurting his brother. It didn't make any sense! He could hardly wrap his head around it.

Guilt. Shame. They were two things Cody knew he'd have to live with because he had done nothing, which was, sadly, all that he could have. He did what he thought was right and that would be okay to everyone else. The only problem was that Cody didn't have to live with everyone else. Cody didn't have to look at everyone else every day. Cody had to live with his inactions for the rest of his life. He didn't know why he was even thinking thoughts like this. He was letting his brain wander, letting it ponder the possibilities of his future.

He could feel the pain in his chest flare up and he knew Zack was screaming on the inside. He finally broke down in tears. He wanted to hit something. It didn't matter what. He took it out on the closest thing, himself. He slammed his head into the wall once. It sent his world spinning and he could feel a warm liquid trickle down his forehead and down the bridge of his nose.

The dizziness acted as a tranquilizer of sorts for him. It calmed him. It made him nauseous, but it calmed him.

It was only temporary though. When he heard the front door open he felt his heart rate begin its ascent again.

After wiping the blood away from his forehead he ran downstairs and locked eyes with his brother. The look they shared broke Cody's heart. Tim had done it again.

Cody knew he had to play along with the lie as not to tip Tim off, "Zack what happened to your face?"

Zack felt the bruise that was forming on his jaw, "I got in a fight with a guy at the store."

Tim patted him on the shoulder, "Zack didn't start it either. The kid was asking for it. You should see what Zack did to him." He laughed and lied through his teeth at the same time. It had become so easy for him. Tim went into the kitchen.

Zack and Cody stood in the room not moving, not saying anything. They knew they had to pretend everything was okay because their uncle was in the next room. They simply sat down on the couch next to each other and flipped on the TV.

Cody did something he never thought he'd do to his brother. It was something he never thought he'd do to another guy. Cody grabbed his brother's hand and squeezed it gently, reassuring him that he was here.

Cody spotted a tear in Zack's eye as he squeezed back, a silent acceptance of this uncommon display of affection.

Then, as quickly as it had happened, they both withdrew their hands at the same time.

It was an unspoken dialogue. They had shared so many of those in their past that it would be uncountable. Cody had said what he would have with words. Cody said _I'm sorry it happened again. I'm sorry I couldn't be there. I'm sorry I can't do anything, but you aren't letting me! You have to let me in Zack! You can't do this alone. We need to report him._

Zack had wordlessly said _I'm fine. Stop worrying about me. I'm as fine as I'll ever be. There's no need to be sorry. We can't say a word about this to anybody, okay? Just let everything fall into place, we'll come up with something eventually._

Cody had told their uncle that he and Zack were going out for dinner that night. Tim had been skeptical at first, but finally out of fear of being exposed he agreed to let them out.

They had taken Cody's car and drove it a few miles to more remote part of town before Cody pulled over and turned to Zack. "He did it again didn't he?"

Zack responded with a nod.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Zack shot a sad look at Cody, "Cody I can't think of anything worse than having to relive that, even if it is just in my mind. So no, I don't want to talk about it."

"Zack, do you love me?"

This question seemed to shake him, "Yes. More than you could ever know. I hope you never have to wonder about that."

"If you love me then why won't you let me in? I want to help you. I can't take this anymore. I can't stand alone, pretending to be in the dark. I need you Zack. I need you to need me."

Zack smiled, "I'm not letting you in because I love you, Cody."

Cody felt something curiously similar to anger rise within him, "Listen to yourself, Zack! How does that make sense? Tell me how that makes sense and don't tell me it's because of Tim's empty threats."

"I… Cody please, just-"

"No Zack. I'm not going to just anything. Do you understand the fact that I could go to jail for knowing what he's doing to you and not saying anything about it?"

"That would never happen, Codes."

"That's exactly the point. It would never happen. But here's the thing. I'm just as guilty as Tim is for this. I have to live with myself knowing that I'm not doing everything in my power to protect my brother. You should know more than anyone what it's like to want to protect someone, to need to protect someone. You've always been there for me and now I need to be here for you."

Zack couldn't respond to this. He understood what Cody was saying and he knew he was hurting his brother by not letting him help. Why did it seem like the better thing to do then? Zack was being hurt and Cody was being hurt because he couldn't help Zack. Nobody was winning. Nobody was feeling better. It was a lose-lose. But why did it feel like it was the right thing to do?

"Zack, we're dying here. We're dying. We're never going to be the same again, least of all you. This needs to end before we're both shattered."

Zack narrowed his eyes at Cody's choice of words. They were interesting, and they were sickeningly fitting. Cody had nailed it right on the head, they were dying. It wasn't in a physical sense. They weren't actually dying of a sickness, but their minds, their souls, their integrity and honor were dying. How could they recover from this?


	16. More Than You Could Ever Know

Chapter 15 – More Than You Could Ever Know

Thank you tiger002 for the prompt review of the last chapter about five minutes after I posted it, haha.

Because the last chapter focused almost exclusively on Cody this is going to be the same chapter but looking into Zack's mind and feeling what he is feeling.

I actually had this chapter and the next one written but I'm scrapping them because the quality was not very good. The day off I took served me well, at it also happened to fall on Dylan and Cole Sprouse's birthday, how interesting. You know you like writing when days off "happen to fall"

Further ramblings (because why not right?)…

I suddenly felt the urge to listen to Christmas music about halfway through writing this chapter. I don't know what that's all about but I'm in my basement at 1:30 AM, under a blanket, in August. Christmas music, really?

… Onward!

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Suite Life series or any characters from the shows.**

When Tim asked Zack to go to the store with him Zack had instantly thought about what he probably meant. Zack found himself hoping so badly that he would also ask Cody to go with as it would mean they would actually be going to the store. When Cody offered Zack's heart soared but just as easily as the relief came it was gone when Tim shot down the idea. Not only had Zack's hope been shot down, it had also been buried alive.

They had actually gotten into Tim's car and drove to the other side of the block as if they were going to the store. They walked back into the garage and entered The Room silently. Zack's heart was cold, his mind was empty, and his face was blank. Tim had proceeded to remind him of what he would do if Zack didn't cooperate which made Zack comply.

Zack was going to cry. He swore he was going to cry. It hurt. It hurt physically and mentally. It was morally wrong and scarring. He was going to cry but his damn pride was getting in the way. He didn't want to give Tim the victory of seeing him cry. That was something he wouldn't give up. Zack found the strangest feeling when he fought back the tears. At first he couldn't quite place it. He felt strangely free. It was like he was suddenly awarded the right of control. He couldn't control what bodily harm came to him. He couldn't control what mental harm was done. He could possibly control his reaction to mental harm and the way he dealt with it but it was there nonetheless. This sudden control made him smile. It was hope.

"What the fuck is so funny, huh?"

Zack, experiencing the drug of hope, had been oblivious to the fact that Tim had satisfied himself and was now looking at him eye to eye. "You." He hadn't thought about the consequences of his answer beforehand and he knew the answer was incorrect as soon as the word left his mouth.

He was corrected with a fist to his jaw. Zack touched the spot gingerly, shocked at the force behind the punch. He knew he had pushed one of Tim's buttons and wanted to smile again, however he held it back. Tim was insecure and self-aware. Zack figured that's why he was abusing an already depressed teenager. A depressed teenager was the only person he could push around and bully. Tim was weak and he knew it.

Zack didn't know what was making him find Tim's faults or even want to smile, something he hadn't done in a while. He didn't understand what could have possibly happened to make him feel better. But, he didn't feel better. He felt just as cold and empty as he did before, if not more. Then the realization came to him along with a fresh dose of fear. Zack's mind had grown so depressed, and sardonic that it was twisting the wicked truth around into something funny. There was something terribly wrong with that.

They had quietly locked up the room and exited the garage. Once again, Zack found himself hoping and wishing Cody would be in the garage at the time. An idea popped into Zack's head, it was a good idea. It could work. It'd have to work. Zack knew he'd had enough. He had been ready for this all to go away long ago but now he had the missing link, he knew how to do it.

When they returned from 'the store' Cody immediately entered the room. If he would have been moving any faster he may as well have ran.

They locked eyes and shared a look that Zack knew had broken Cody's heart.

"Zack, happened to your face?"

Zack raised a hand to feel the knot, where Tim had struck him for smiling, resided. He thought up a lie with record speed, "I got in a fight with a guy at the store." It was believable enough as long as nobody asked questions. Zack felt disgusted at how easy he found it to lie.

Zack felt Tim pat him on the shoulder. He swallowed hard as Tim's hand lingered there for an unmistakably long second.

"Zack didn't start it either. The kid was asking for it. You should see what Zack did to him." Tim lied as easily as Zack had and went into the kitchen.

The addition to the lie was also believable as long as no questions were asked. But to Cody, who knew Zack didn't get in too many fights as well as the truth, it made the lie so much more transparent.

They sat on the couch after standing in the nearly unoccupied room for a few moments. Zack turned the TV on for some peaceful background noise and to drown out the screaming inside his head.

He thought they were simply going to sit there, not doing anything, pretending everything was okay. He knew Tim as in the room but Zack needed his brother to somehow acknowledge that he knew what happened. Zack was answered as he felt Cody's hand grab his. Zack had been surprised when he felt his brother's hand on his. They had never held the other's hand before but there was, unfortunately, a first for everything. Zack returned the squeeze Cody gave him as to confirm Cody's suspicions and let him know the display of affection was accepted and appreciated.

Cody had proceeded to further acknowledge what happened by telling Tim that they decided to go out for dinner together. The lie he crafted was that they needed to spend some one on one brother time together because it had been so long. It was obvious Tim had been skeptical but obviously couldn't come up with a valid reason to keep them in the house.

The twins took no time in getting in Cody's car and driving away.

They drove a silent few miles to the edge of town before Cody pulled over.

"He did it again didn't he?"

Zack gave a single nod.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

For the split second that Zack let his mind wander back to the second exposure of The Room he felt his heart sink back into it's cold new home. "Cody, I can't think of anything worse than reliving that, even if it is just in my mind. So no, I don't want to talk about it." His answer had come out a little bit more pointedly than intended.

"Zack, do you love me?"

Zack was worried he had somehow offended his brother and best friend, "Yes. More than you could ever know. I hope you never have to wonder about that."

"If you love me then why won't you let me in? I want to help you. I can't take this anymore. I can't stand alone, pretending to be in the dark. I need you, Zack. I need you to need me."

Zack smiled hoping to cover up the sting that he felt after his brother's last sentence, "I'm not letting you in because I love you."

Zack saw an emotion he recognized immediately as anger in Cody's eyes, "Listen to yourself, Zack! How does that make sense? Tell me how that makes sense and don't tell me it's because of Tim's empty threats."

Zack had no answer so he just stammered awkwardly hoping the words would come to his lips.

"No, Zack. I'm not going to just anything. Do you understand the fact that I could go to jail for knowing what he's doing to you and not saying anything about it?"

Zack had an answer immediately this time, "That would never happen, Codes." As he finished he realized he walked into one of Cody's traps.

"That's exactly the point. It would never happen. But here's the thing. I'm just as guilty as Tim is for this. I have to live with myself knowing that I'm not doing everything in my power to protect my brother. You should know more than anyone what it's like to want to protect someone, to need to protect someone. You've always been there for me and now I need to be here for you."

Zack understood perfectly what it was like to need to protect your brother. The understanding was so vivid and real it could have materialized in front of him.

"Zack, we're dying here. We're dying. We're never going to be the same again, least of all you. This needs to end before we're both shattered."

Zack had had enough talking; he had gone into this conversation intending to give Cody the plan that would rid them of their uncle and that's what he intended to do. He couldn't help but realize the truth in his brother's well-chosen words though.

Zack opened his mouth and prepared to tell Cody the plan, the missing link.

* * *

We're getting pretty darn close to wrapping up this part of the story. Never fear loyal reader, there are still a few more twists and turns, not to mention a very large one. I'm thinking there's about three more chapters left in this part...


	17. The Missing Link

Chapter 16 – The Missing Link

Here's the next chapter. This one is going to be an important one for the twins. It's shorter and it's mostly dialogue, but it is very important.

Thank you everyone that has read and reviewed. Thank you to my biggest reviewer and feedback giver, tiger002. Also thank you to the people that have read the story and haven't reviewed. I'm glad other people are reading it but I have no idea if you all like it or not.

My ramblings...

I've come to the horrifying realization that "It Ain't So Suite Without You Here" doesn't exactly flow off the tongue... oh well.

I'm going to utilize this free advertising space and tell people to check out my other story '_Sinner'. _It's a quick read that goes into some deep topics.

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Suite Life series or any characters from the shows.**

It hadn't taken long for Tim to victimize Zack again. As he had promised the previous time, he waited five days before bringing Zack back into the garage. Normally Zack's heart and mind would have instinctively shut off in order to protect himself in any way he could, but this time it was different.

As Tim led Zack to the door of the garage Zack stopped, ready to initiate the plan.

Tim spun around on his heel, "What are you stopping for?"

Zack tried to sound scared and the sound came out more genuine than he expected, "I don't want to do this. I can't. Just, please don't okay?"

Tim growled as he lumbered over to Zack and grabbed his arm, "You can't fight this Zacky. You know what will happen if you do."

Zack pushed him away, "What will happen? I don't even believe you. Just get away from me."

Tim seized Zack's arms and twisted them violently, "You know what will happen. I'll kill you mother and I'll kill Cody. And I'll have fun doing it."

Zack's eyes bulged in horror as he winced, "No! No you won't. Let me go!"

Tim twisted harder and pushed him towards the door, "Get inside before somebody hears you. You've been such a good boy before today Zacky. I thought you loved me like I loved you." Tim kissed Zack's neck gently. Once. Twice.

"Stop, please." _Just a little longer. Just a little bit more evidence._

"Don't you want this, Zacky? Don't you want me? I thought you loved me." Tears began flowing from Tim's own eyes.

Zack looked in amazement at his clearly insane uncle. How could they be related? Tim belonged in the mental hospital, not their mother!

"W- what are y- you going to do to me?" Zack could feel the stress on his shoulder joint begin to take its toll. He could almost feel the bones being dislocated from their socket.

"Zacky, I thought you knew. I'm going to make love to you." A wicked grin crossed Tim's face as he went to unlock the door to The Room.

It was only then, after Tim gave the final bit of evidence needed, that Zack broke into a dead run towards the door. He hadn't counted on having to run past Tim to get to the door and he knew that would only make it harder to get out and get safe. The only comfort he felt was that he knew he was a fast runner. Zack found himself praying his feet wouldn't fail him.

As if on command they led him out the door and into the front lawn with Tim behind him. Zack didn't think Tim could catch up to him anyway but he didn't know for sure. He figured he may have been able to run away from him if he hadn't been trapped in The Room. He could have put things right before he was raped the second time but it was out of his own stupid, blind fear that he didn't. Zack kicked himself, mentally as he proceeded to the front yard, which was now occupied with police officers.

Zack looked around for a long second before spotting the car that Cody was sitting in. Zack opened the door and joined him in the back of the police Tahoe. Before closing the door he heard a man shout.

"Police! Get on the ground!"

The door closed and Zack felt Cody's arms around him.

Zack looked out the window, tears flowing freely. He could see guns were drawn. He could see Tim begin arguing with the cops that surrounded him. He could see two cops seize Tim and put him in handcuffs. He could see Tim given his list of rights. He could see Tim escorted to a police car that drove away. For once, Zack could see. It was like a veil had been lifted from his vision. What had once been masked and made scary by darkness and fear was now revealed. Leaves were green again. The sky was once again blue. Zack smiled as he watched the way the trees moved with the wind as if lamenting Zack's abuse, yet celebrating his liberation.

Cody looked on in a bittersweet silence. Inside he was doing the same as the trees, lamenting and celebrating, yet his human heart was wrenched one final time at the sight of his brother looking out the window. Zack looked like a kid staring at his brand new bike. He looked like a kid who had just discovered that the bogeyman wasn't real, or in his case, was gone.

Finally the Tahoe began cruising away from the dark prison that was Tim's house. The only words that were exchanged were when the two cops got in to drive it away. The passenger turned around and looked back at the twins.

"You did good."

Zack nodded and smiled as he removed the audio recorder that was taped to his chest.

* * *

Whew. Thank god that's over an now I can return to my normal writing style. I'm just about as sick of the abuse as Zack and Cody are now.

Remember to review as you ponder these questions:

Will Tim go to jail or does he have one more trick up his sleeve? Now that Zack and Cody have nowhere to go what will happen? How will Carey react to the news when the twins tell her?


	18. Safe?

Chapter 17 – Safe?

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Suite Life series or any characters from the shows.**

Cody had always joked that Zack would be the one to be riding in the back of a police car and Zack had always accepted that as possibly true. Neither of them ever expected to be riding together and neither ever dreamed that it would be under the current circumstances. It was a surreal feeling to be inside a cop car. Cody couldn't really explain it, but somewhere inside him he felt embarrassed. He knew he hadn't done anything truly wrong, and he wasn't going to jail for anything, but he couldn't help but hope that nobody saw him sitting in the back of the police SUV.

Zack was too busy admiring the suddenly beautiful world around them to be concerned if people saw him inside the SUV. He looked out at every person they passed and wondered what their story was. He wondered if they had ever been through a tragedy such as he had been and what they might say about it. He wondered if they were happy. He wondered if they felt safe. It was humbling for him to realize that no matter what happened to him, no matter how bad, these people would go on living their life not even aware of his existence.

Despite their different thinking, both twins wondered what Tim was doing now. They both had to smile realizing how they had turned his world upside down as theirs had been not too long ago. For him, his future consisted of armed guards and barred cells. For Zack and Cody, their future remained unwritten. The blank pages of their future would offer them a chance to write their own futures, to be in control of their own lives.

There was one thing that was certain in their future, after this tragedy they would never be apart. There's no better time to realize how much you love somebody than in the face of cruelty and abuse.

When the twins arrived at the police station they were immediately brought into an office and sat down.

A female officer walked in the room with a large smile, revealing white teeth, "I imagine you two are pretty tired. Can I get you anything to eat or drink?"

Cody spoke first, "If I could just have some water that'd be perfect. Thank you."

Zack let a slow smile overtake his face, "Actually, I'm fine. I feel like I've got more energy now that I have for a long, long time."

She nodded, smile never leaving her face, and walked out the door.

She returned not more than thirty seconds later, smile in tow, with a bottle of water. She handed the bottle to Cody and sat in a chair next to them. She turned and directed her gaze at Zack.

"You must be Zack Martin, then."

"Yeah."

"I understand you two have been through a lot."

"Yes we have."

"I'm sorry for everything you've been through. Nobody should have to deal with any of what you two have faced."

Cody nodded, "Thanks, Ms…"

She laughed once, "Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Alison Reynolds. Please just call me Alison."

"Thanks, Alison."

She crossed one leg over another and gathered her thoughts for a moment, "Do you have any questions?"

"What's going to happen to him?" Zack was a little hesitant to ask the question but he knew he needed closure. He wanted to be told that his uncle would be sent far away for a long time.

"Well, he'll be given a trial. If he had any sense he'd plead guilty, but nobody ever seems to do that nowadays. According to Massachusetts law he'll face nothing less than ten years. He'll probably be sentenced to twenty or thirty."

The twins both gave a sigh of relief.

Her omnipresent smile grew even larger, however possible. "And after he's sentenced he'll go to prison, and he'll be gone, out of your lives."

Zack and Cody locked eyes and shared an unforgettable, silent exchange. Each wanted nothing more than to hear that Tim would be out of their lives.

"Now, I'm going to bring in a man who will serve as you lawyer when the trial comes around, is that okay?"

Zack narrowed his eyes. Her smile was starting to get creepy, and the last thing he wanted was to be treated like a kid. "Bring him in."

She nodded and came back with the man who introduced himself as Kevin Johnson. The smiling women left and reality seemed to settle back in, taking over the smiling, lilac-scented atmosphere.

"Now, boys. I'm going to be your lawyer come trial time. I need you to tell me everything that's happened to you starting at when and why you moved into your uncle's house."

Cody nodded at Zack, telling him to relay their story to the man who held the key to their future.

He took a deep breath and began their story, "It started when Cody and I were coming home from a double date. We had fun, and we came home half an hour late. We came home and we… our mom was in the bathtub. She tried to kill herself. I thought she was dead at first but then Cody said she wasn't. She went to the hospital and then was sent to a mental hospital. That's why we moved in with him, we had nowhere else to go. Things were going pretty smoothly and then one day he told me he needed some help in the garage. I didn't think anything of it so I went in. He brought me in this room and when he turned on the lights he had copies of every picture ever taken of me. And then he… and then… he…"

Cody rubbed his back and took over, "You know what he's trying to say. I didn't know what happened at first, I thought he just got jumped, that's what he told me. Then one day he told me what really happened. He made me promise I wouldn't tell anyone and I didn't want to break his trust so I kept my mouth shut… I was so stupid. Then, eventually, after the second time, he told me his plan and the rest I think you know."

Kevin kept nodding for a few seconds even after Cody finished the story. He was jotting notes on a tablet of paper furiously. When Cody tried to spot what he was writing he could only make out chicken scratch notes.

"I think our best approach is to charge him with sexual assault on a minor, battery, and terroristic threatening."

Cody nodded, knowing exactly what he meant and that it would add up to a long prison sentence.

Zack, following his brother's example, nodded too. He could only understand sexual assault on a minor but the rest was a mystery to him. He shrugged mentally, if his brother was okay with them, they must be the right charges.

The meeting was adjourned shortly after, leaving Zack and Cody wondering where they were going to go. Now they truly had no home. They were welcome at the Tipton, of course, but they'd be alone and they could hardly call it home anymore.

They decided the Tipton was their best bet and soon found themselves being driven to Tim's house so they could retrieve their cars.

At the house they quickly got out of the police car and into their own cars. They wanted to get back into their own car and back to the Tipton as quickly as possible in order to try to forget the bad memories that floated around the house.

Cody got into his car and started up the engine. He pulled his seatbelt on, put the car in gear, and drove off in the direction of the Tipton.

Zack got in his own car and took a deep breath. He hadn't driven very much in the months they had been away from the Tipton, and without their mother. He just wanted to be back out on the road in his shiny, new Mustang. He pulled his own seatbelt on and reached for the transmission. Instead of the regular handle he found a piece of paper.

Confused, Zack grabbed the paper and held it in front of his face. His face turned into one of pure fear when he read the note. Knowing he couldn't afford to lose any time he peeled out of the driveway and cruised after his brother.

Zack tried to focus on driving and his future the entire ride, but the words written on the note kept invading his thoughts.

_Zackey, I'm disappointed. I didn't think you'd tell him. I thought you loved me. I told my friend what you've done. I asked him a favor. I asked him if he'd finish what I started and then carry out my promise. We'll see each other soon Zackey, don't you worry._


	19. New Beginnings

Chapter 18 – New Beginnings

This is the last chapter guys! Thanks for sticking with me and stay tuned for Part 2!

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Suite Life series or any characters from the shows.**

When Zack and Cody returned to the Tipton they were greeted by various staff. As Mr. Moseby approached them they couldn't help but laugh at all he had missed. They found it wrongly pleasurable to be able to genuinely laugh at something.

"Hello boys. How have you been?"

Cody frowned, "We've been through hell and back. That's a story for another time though. We're exhausted and we just need to be alone."

The older man nodded, "Of course."

The twins continued into the elevator where they were greeted by a different elevator man. Cody frowned again as he wondered where the old elevator man was. This guy was younger, and if Cody was being honest, he was nicer smelling, but there was something off about him. He sure wasn't the old, smiling, friendly elevator man.

"What floor?"

Zack leaned into the back of the elevator, "Twenty-three."

He nodded slowly while keeping his eyes on Cody, "Twenty-three it is."

As the twins entered their old suite, that regular feeling of nostalgia washed over them. They each dismissed it and parked themselves on the couch in the middle of the living room.

They sat in a silence so peaceful it was sickening. Zack enjoyed it, in his own confused way. He couldn't understand why he liked the silence so much. Had he changed that much? He could remember, not long ago, when he would have said anything or done anything to be rid of the silence. Now, as the two brothers sat together it became a living, breathing, third member of the room.

An hour ticked away without words before they both found themselves yawning. After a few minutes of continued yawning neither could remember who had started it and opted to just go to bed.

They had a short walk into their old bedroom. Once inside they wrapped each other in a tight hug.

"Zack, we've been through so much, but we're finally safe. It's over. This is the new beginning for us."

Zack took his brother's shoulder in his hands and smiled, "A new beginning. I like the sound of that."

As Cody drifted off into a peaceful sleep Zack couldn't help but let his be troubled and disturbed by the note he found in his car. Were they safe? Whoever was going to some after them would know they'd be at the Tipton. At any moment when there was a knock on the door it could be a man planning to kill them both. No, they weren't safe. They were anything but safe.

* * *

"Make your phone call Martin!"

Tim picked up the phone and dialed a number.

"Hello?"

"It's Tim. I'm in jail and no doubt I'll be going to prison."

There was a long pause, "Stage two?"

Tim nodded slowly letting a sadistic grin take over his otherwise neutral expression. His voice was a growling whisper, "Absolutely. Stage two."

* * *

Well that concludes my shortest chapter to date and the end of this part of the story. That last bit was Tim's phone call if it wasn't obvious. Once again, thank you to all who have stuck with this story. I'll begin working on Part 2 momentarily and I can't promise I'll finish it in less than two weeks, haha.


	20. My Humble Thanks

Authors Note and Thank You

Again, I thank everyone who has read and reviewed my story.

Tiger002… thanks for your faithful reviews and helpful feedback, and you've already reviewed the ending chapter before I finished writing this

Ellivia22… thanks for your faithful reviews and urging me to update quickly

Standingsingle… thanks for your reviews and I have to say, your songfics are really, very good

Yhesi01… thanks for the review, I also have a love/hate relationship with Tim

Lor4eto… thanks for the review, and that "son of a bitch Tim" (so true) is going to jail, even though I think he deserves worse

And thanks to everyone else who has read my story.

And thank you to people who have honored me by placing this story in your favorites.

Remember to keep a look out for the next installment of this story which will most likely be titled 'Stage Two'. Also remember to check out my other story, 'Sinner' as you wait for the first chapter of 'Stage Two'

Here's to good reading and writing, cheers!

-Hailfax McGee


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